Kodaka's Pet Project
by teisan
Summary: Kodaka has a crazy idea involving Yukimura. Sena's in on the plan, and Yozora seems to be catching on. If he fails, all hell will break loose. But what if he succeeds...? An innocent plan balloons into several love triangles. Part one of two stories.
1. Kodaka's Pet Project

_This is my first attempt at a Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (let's call it Haganai for short, shall we?) fic. Ever wonder why Kodaka just takes all the crap he gets in stride? What if he didn't? What if, in the early days of the club, he decides to take action in a big way? What would happen? In fact, I think Yukimura's one of the most potentially interesting characters around. Read, and if you enjoy, review!_

"Kodaka…promise me you'll never leave me…I need you…"

"Sena…I promise."

"Kodaka! Promise me you'll stay with me forever! I love you…"

"I promise…Yozora."

Sena and Yozora sat up. The sheets fell off their naked bodies as they both reached in toward Kodaka. The two girls approached Kodaka's mouth…then turned to each other.

"Does Kodaka like watching us like this?" moaned Sena as she wrapped her arms around Yozora.

"Kodaka…Kodaka likes seeing me with another girl, doesn't he?" whimpered Yozora.

Kodaka lay there with a giant smirk on his face, his arms folded behind his head.

…

Kodaka Hasegawa woke up. He had been dreaming. This was one of his better dreams, but lately, it seemed that all of his dreams were better than reality.

When he moved to this town, the same place where he had spent the first five or six years of his life, he had hoped to make a new start, just as he had done all the other times he had moved.

Unfortunately, because of some misunderstandings and bad luck that had to do with his dirty blonde hair, everybody at his new school now thought he was a delinquent.

Now, the only people he could count as anything close to friends were the members of the school's Neighbors' Club: Yozora Mikazuki, a selfish psycho; Sena Kashiwazaki, the wealthy, well-endowed daughter of the school headmaster; and Yukimura Kusunoki, their newest member.

…

Kodaka stared furtively at the maid in the corner, Yukimura, who was preparing afternoon tea for the group. Kodaka felt conflicted.

On the one hand, Yukimura was cute. Kodaka caught himself trying to get a glimpse several times as Yukimura dipped the tea bag inside a pot of hot water.

On the other hand, Yukimura was a guy.

It had been a little less than a week since Yukimura had joined the Neighbors' Club to "become manlier." And the first thing Yozora Mikazuki, the deranged head of the club, had done was make Yukimura wear a maid outfit every day.

"A real man is willing to dress in girls' clothes," she said.

Kodaka looked back down at his magazine. Finally, with a sigh, he flung the thing down on the table.

"Hey, Yukimura."

"Yes, Aniki?"

Kodaka flinched. He hated being called that. Only _yakuza_ used that title.

"Do you like wearing that dress?"

Yukimura nodded happily. "It's making me more manly! I can feel the manhood penetrating through me right now!"

Kodaka nodded and glanced back down at his magazine, sighing as Yukimura served everyone else in the club room.

Right then, there was a crazy, stupid idea running through his head. Kodaka knew it was insane, maybe even suicidal. But he felt like there was an opportunity, and that it was quickly slipping away.

Kodaka glanced at Yozora, who was sitting at the windowsill, and Sena, who was playing some galge on the club's widescreen TV.

Kodaka sipped his tea. Yozora had just finished her second cup. It would happen eventually.

Yozora got up from her spot at the windowsill and sauntered out of the room. Kodaka smirked. Yozora was obviously going to the bathroom. He had two minutes.

Kodaka waited until Yozora's footsteps were out of earshot. Then, he sprang up, clenching his fists as he nervously swallowed his spit.

"Yukimura."

"Yes, Aniki?" Yukimura rushed up to Kodaka with a slavish look on his face and willing to do his master's bidding.

Kodaka grasped Yukimura by his dress. Yukimura's shriek caught Sena's attention, and she turned around.

"That maid uniform makes you look like a girl. It's a disgrace to men everywhere."

"Aniki?"

"Who the hell thinks wearing a dress makes you manly? It only makes you manly if you look like a man already!"

"A-Aniki? What do you mean?"

"Yozora's a crazy bitch. She's making you wear that dress because she's a psycho with lesbian tendencies. That's not making you manly at all. Understand?"

"A-Aniki!" Yukimura started to whimper as Sena covered her mouth in shock.

Kodaka heard Yozora's footsteps.

"Yukimura! Stop crying!" hissed Kodaka.

Yukimura's whimpering grew even louder.

"Yukimura!"

"I'm *sniff* trying, Aniki!"

"Yukimura, if you're a man, you can control your tears, just this once," whispered Kodaka.

A reverent look spread across Yukimura's face. "Yes, Aniki!"

Yukimura wiped the last of his tears away, and Kodaka sighed in relief.

"Now, pretend none of this happened. I'll talk to you after club."

Kodaka released his grip, grabbed the magazine, and assumed a nonchalant pose as Yozora came inside.

"What were you two doing? I heard you two talking," she said.

"Uh…Aniki was giving me tips on being manly!" said Yukimura.

"Whatever. You should be careful about what that guy says. He's a little off."

"You mean Aniki?"

"Just listen to me and you'll be just fine. Kodaka might be manly, but he's a moron. He can't communicate his manliness into words."

Kodaka rubbed the space between his eyebrows and waited for the clock to run.

…

"Aniki?"

"Good. You remembered."

Kodaka felt his heart pounding. If Yozora found out what he was going to do, she would kill him. He clenched his fists again, swallowed once more, and steeled himself for his next big step.

"Yozora's a liar and insane. You'll never be a true man listening to her. She's just using me _and_ you for her amusement. That's what she does."

"Yozora-anego?"

"Yeah. If you want to be a man, listen to me. I'm not an idiot. Hell, I'm not even that manly, but you won't believe me if I say that."

Sena walked out of the gates. She glanced at the two boys standing on the sidewalk. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she sidled up between the two.

"Kodaka, what was that today?"

"Sena, do you want to get back at Yozora for calling you 'Meat' all the time?"

Sena nodded, suddenly interested in what Kodaka had to say.

Kodaka continued. "I'm going to make Yukimura a man. The right way."

"Kodaka…I've never seen you this determined."

"Well, let's just say I snapped. Yozora always plays the two of us like idiots. But she's going too far with Yukimura. She's just playing off his naïveté and lying to him."

Yukimura glanced up at his role model, confused as to what he was saying.

"That's why I'm going to make things right."

Sena nodded. "Uh-huh. But do you really wanna do this?"

"Yeah, I have to. For Yukimura."

Sena nodded again. "OK. Do you need me to help?"

"Not for now. Just don't tell Yozora anything."

Kodaka grabbed Yukimura, still wearing the maid uniform, by the arm as Sena stood to the side with a fearful expression on her face.

…

Kodaka himself didn't know why he was doing this. For the past few weeks, he had tolerated Yozora's deranged ideas, hoping that playing along might get him some friends. However, he slowly realized that by staying in the club, he would make absolutely no friends except with his three fellow club members, who were the strangest, most unbearable freaks he had ever seen.

If he could fix Yukimura, Yukimura might stop addressing him as Aniki all the time. Furthermore, he'd be saving Yukimura from Yozora's lies. Even better, it would be his way of getting back at Yozora, by beating her just this once.

Finally, if he could turn Yukimura into a normal guy, Kodaka would, for the first time since moving here, have a real friend.

"Come on, Yukimura, we're going to your place. Are your parents home?"

"N-No, Aniki."

"All right. Now, how do we get to your house from this bus stop?"

Yukimura shivered in fear as he pointed out the correct bus and stop. Kodaka had a fiery look in his eyes, a rare glint of determination.

…

"Show me your room."

Yukimura pushed open his door. Kodaka walked in and stared at the room. It was somewhat bare, with only a bed, a bookshelf, and a desk and some other furniture. There was a scroll with Japanese calligraphy on one wall, but other than that, the walls were bare.

"Do your parents let you decorate your room?" said Kodaka.

Yukimura nodded.

"Good. Is that your closet?"

Yukimura nodded.

Kodaka rummaged through the clothes, finding only dress-shirts and khakis. He threw a few of the clothes on the ground in disgust before picking them back up. As bold as he was feeling today, he didn't want to overdo it.

"First, we have to do something about these shirts. And we have to buy you some jeans."

"W-What's wrong with my shirts, Aniki?"

"First off, these are blouses, for girls. The buttons are on the left, and they button right over left. Guys' shirts are the opposite."

Kodaka only knew that because he had to sort out his and Kobato's laundry every week.

Kodaka looked through the rest of the closet, relieved to find that at least there were no skirts or dresses. At this time, he began to feel queasy. He had been hiding his nervousness for almost an hour now, and he didn't feel like he could keep it up much longer. Kodaka slipped, stumbling and almost collapsing.

"Aniki, are you all right?" Yukimura caught Kodaka, dragging him by the arm to the living room and laying him down on the sofa.

Kodaka heard Yukimura go into the kitchen. He then recalled Yukimura sitting down next to him with a glass of water.

"Aniki!" Yukimura thrust the water towards Kodaka.

"Thanks." Kodaka took a sip and sighed. As much as he wanted to continue with his plan, he realized that he just couldn't go any further today.

"What are you going to do about my clothes, Aniki?" asked Yukimura.

"Don't worry about it. You have a whole bunch of other things to worry about," said Kodaka with a dark look. Even now, he was blushing and trying not to ogle Yukimura's face.

"What do we do now, then?"

"Let me think of something. For now, don't worry."

"What do I do in front of Yozora in the meantime, Aniki?"

Kodaka paused. He hadn't thought of that. Grateful for Yukimura's foresight, he said, "Just act normal. Put on that stupid maid outfit every day. But ignore anything she says. She's trying to trick you. Oh, and Yukimura?"

"Yes, Aniki?"

"Any chance you can stop staring at me like that?"

"Yes, Aniki." Yukimura blushed and averted his eyes. Kodaka sighed and covered his face. He simply couldn't get over how _cute_ Yukimura was.

"All right, that's all. Thanks for taking me to your house."


	2. Day Two

Kodaka shuffled into the club room after school the next day. Sena was already sitting on the couch, waiting. She glanced at him with a suspicious look. Kodaka looked away and thought about Yukimura. For one, he wondered if Yukimura could actually keep everything secret.

Yukimura walked in with a maid uniform on, as usual, and a grin on his face.

"Yukimura, that's disgusting. You're a guy. Show some shame," said Kodaka.

Yukimura bowed his head and sat down next to Kodaka. The three of them simply sat there without saying a word.

"You can still make tea, though," said Sena and Kodaka at the same time.

Yukimura hopped up and grabbed the empty pot. Kodaka and Sena stared at each other over the sound of the faucet running.

Sena shook her head.

"This isn't going to work," she mouthed.

"Yes, it is," he mouthed back.

"What did you two do after I left?" said Sena.

"I went to his house. I didn't stay there very long," said Kodaka. "His room's completely bare. There's, like, one calligraphy scroll on his wall. No posters or anything. And his clothes are all kind of effeminate."

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" said Sena.

Before Kodaka could answer, Yozora walked into the room.

…

"What're we doing today, Aniki?"

Kodaka strutted out of the school with Yukimura in tow.

"Don't follow me so close. Wait until _she__'__s_ gone."

Yukimura and Kodaka swerved their heads simultaneously at Yozora, who was several steps ahead of them. Yukimura and Kodaka waited to make sure she was really gone, only speaking again once Yozora had turned a corner.

"What are we doing today, Aniki?" said Yukimura again.

"I don't know. I'm just going to hang out, I guess. You're going to go with me."

"Oh! How will this make me more man-like, Aniki?"

"Just copy what I do. This is…uh…passive training. Learning through observation."

"Of course, Aniki! You know everything!"

"Yeah…" Kodaka sighed. The truth was that he had no idea _what_ the hell he was doing. He walked down the street, with Yukimura scampering after him. "First thing, don't scamper around like that. Walk like this, like I'm doing."

Yukimura shuddered as he closed in next to Kodaka. "You mean, I'm walking next to Aniki as an equal?"

"In public, I'm not your Aniki, got it?"

Yukimura clutched his chest. "Does this mean you disown me?"

"It's a part of your training. I can't be your Aniki in public."

Yukimura nodded at the supposedly profound words Kodaka had just said.

"Let's go in." Kodaka pulled open the door into the coffee shop. He nearly let Yukimura in first, but cut Yukimura off just in time. "No, it's ladies first. You're not a lady, remember?"

Yukimura nodded and caught the door after Kodaka.

"Do you have money?" said Kodaka.

Yukimura nodded and got his wallet out. He stumbled with it, nearly dropping it.

"You're not used to taking your wallet out, are you?" said Kodaka, sighing.

"No. They always pay for me."

"Who's 'they'?"

"People I go out with."

"_What_ people you go out with?"

"Well, there was one sempai who asked me if I wanted to hang out with him. But he wouldn't let me pay for anything. And then he kissed me."

Kodaka squirmed. "Oh…OK…."

"Welcome to Sudohbucks, how can I help you?" said the girl behind the counter.

"Uh, yeah, just a tall brewed coffee, please." This was not what Kodaka usually ordered.

"All right. That will be 600 yen, please."

Kodaka paid and stood to the side.

"Welcome to Sudohbucks, how can I help you?"

"I'll have a strawberry frappucino, please."

Kodaka rushed in and covered up Yukimura's mouth.

"He means a tall brewed coffee," said Kodaka with a grin that looked rather menacing.

The cashier's face turned white. "Um, yes, sir! Uh, that'll be 600 yen…"

"Don't order that crap!" whispered Kodaka as he slapped the back of Yukimura's head. "That's the girliest drink I've ever heard of."

He neglected to add that strawberry frappucino was secretly his favorite drink.

Yukimura took a sip and blanched.

"Aniki, this tastes really bad!"

Kodaka rushed up to the condiments and stuffed his pockets with sugar and creamer.

"Real men drink black coffee," said Kodaka. "Which means when you're putting sugar and creamer in your coffee, don't let anyone see you."

He handed several packets to Yukimura, all the while wondering where he was going with all this. He slumped down in his booth as Yukimura stared at him from across the table.

"What's the purpose of drinking coffee, Aniki?" said Yukimura.

"Well…" said Kodaka. "Uh…we're going to practice your posture."

"Huh?"

"You're sitting too formally. You have to slouch a little, like this."

Yukimura eased his stance, slumping his back. Kodaka nodded approvingly.

"Good, good. Now drink your coffee."

"It's disgusting."

"Shut up and drink." Kodaka sighed and stared listlessly at the other customers in the store. He was utterly lost now, wondering what to do now. Deciding that he had had enough for today, Kodaka got up. "Come on, we're leaving."

"Aniki?"

"Just get up and go!"

Kodaka looked around as he left the coffee shop. Yukimura ran after him until he remembered what Kodaka had said and slowed to a brisk walk.

"What do we do now, Aniki?"

"Nothing. We've got to start small. Uh, you did well, Yukimura."

"OK, then. Bye, Aniki!"

"Don't yell like that. It's not manly."

"Sorry. Bye, Aniki."


	3. Kodaka Needs Help

Sena's eyes were fixed on her laptop, her tongue hanging out as she clicked her mouse. Her other hand was on the pair of headphones she was wearing, and she giggled as she scrolled through her eroge.

Kodaka blanched. He found Sena's new hobby perfectly disgusting. As he prepared to get up and leave, he found Sena's gaze directed at him.

_So? __How__'__s __it __going?_ Sena's gaze seemed to say.

Kodaka shrugged. _OK, __I __guess._

"That bad, huh?" muttered Sena.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad!" burst Kodaka. Then, remembering Sena couldn't hear him over the sound of 2D lovemaking, he simply shook his head and waited for Yukimura.

Yukimura arrived with an embarrassed blush and his hands placed slightly over his maid uniform, as if hiding it.

"Aniki, I thought about what you said about posturing."

"OK…"

"And I tried some poses in front of the mirror last night!"

"Um, all right," said Kodaka. "What've you got?"

Yukimura cleared his throat, stood beside the couch, and then flexed his arms. He bent his legs, until he was almost squatting, as he made a face that made him look constipated. Kodaka covered his mouth, not sure whether to vomit or laugh.

"Where'd you learn _that_?" cried Kodaka. Sena looked up from her porn in shock and disgust.

"You call that teaching him to be manly?" she burst, throwing off her headphones.

"I didn't teach him that," said Kodaka. He bent over, laughing, finding the whole thing hilarious.

"What's wrong, Aniki?" said Yukimura.

"Where'd you learn it?" said Kodaka. "Seriously."

"I watched videos on the internet. There were really strong men with huge muscles, and they struck these poses with their arms."

Kodaka shook his head, guffawing. "No, just…no. They're buff, you're not. And you're in a maid uniform. They were in their underwear, weren't they?"

"Yes…does this mean you want me to strip down to my underwear first?"

"NO!"

"What the hell are you all being so loud for?" said Yozora, who had appeared at the door.

…

"What are we doing now, Aniki?"

"Nothing, really." Kodaka paused. "I guess we're just…hanging out."

"Oh, is this posturing practice like yesterday?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it is!" said Kodaka. "And you have to do something about your walk. Look, copy me. Like this."

Yukimura obeyed, walking more slowly and with a longer, more relaxed gait.

"Good. Now do something about your hands. Put them in your pockets. And slouch a little. Just a little bit…yeah, you're good."

"This feels a little weird, Aniki."

"Don't worry, you look really good right now."

"Where are we going, Aniki?"

"Just around. You know, walk around and look at some stores, maybe…" Kodaka paused. He had rarely hung out with friends before, even before he moved here. He wondered if this was what normal people actually did with their friends every day.

"Oh. Do I have to keep up this posture?"

"Well, you can change it up a little. But, you're doing great for now. Keep it up."

…

Somehow, in the next week, the tiny club of four ballooned. First came the arrival of the up-to-now unseen club sponsor, a _ten-year-old_ nun named Maria, then Rika Shiguma, a perverted scientific genius, and finally Kobato, Kodaka's little sister.

"I didn't know you had a sister, Aniki!" said Yukimura.

"Yeah. Don't get jealous or anything. You're not the same as her. She's a girl, understand?" said Kodaka.

With seven members, Kodaka found himself unable to get with Yukimura as much as he would have liked. In fact, in the middle of their half-baked club activities, Kodaka found it almost impossible to be alone with only Sena and Yukimura.

…

"What are you doing here, Sena?" said Kodaka. It was after club. Yozora had just left, and the three of them now stood at the school gates.

"I wanna see what you're actually doing with Yukimura," said Sena.

"Aniki, is it really all right if she comes with us?" said Yukimura.

Kodaka paused. "Um, actually, yeah, it is."

Kodaka was now wearing a silly grin on his face.

"Why're you smiling, Kodaka?" said Sena.

Sena and Yukimura stared at each other and then followed Kodaka. Kodaka turned to his left and right and saw Sena and Yukimura on either side of him.

"Sena, get between me and Yukimura," said Kodaka.

"Aniki? Are you cutting me off?" said Yukimura. He looked as if on the verge of tears.

"No, but there's one girl and two boys, right? So, the girl should be in the middle," said Kodaka. "Otherwise, it looks more like one boy and two girls if I'm in the middle. You don't want that, do you?"

Yukimura shook his head violently and clung to Sena's right arm.

"Good thinking," said Sena quietly. "Now what do we do?"

"I don't know…just walk around, I guess. I think this is what friends do. They just walk around."

"How stupid is that?" said Sena. "Do you hear yourself?"

"Seriously. I think they just go to stores and look at stuff, and then just walk around in the streets," said Kodaka. "Or something like that."

Sena shook her head. "Whatever. And how does this make Yukimura more manly?"

"I'm fixing his posture. It's too girly."

Sena nodded. "Yeah, you have a point."

On some days, Sena joined the two, but more often, they were alone. After several days, Sena finally took action.

"This is stupid. We've just walked around doing nothing every day I've been with you guys!"

"Practice makes perfect. That's what Aniki said," said Yukimura.

Sena shook her head in disgust. She glared at Kodaka and pulled him next to her. With her mouth next to his ear, she hissed, "You don't have any idea what you're doing, do you?"

Kodaka shook his head. In a low voice, he muttered, "I'm out of ideas!"

Sena looked to her right. Yukimura was walking like a normal boy now. He still had to consciously think about it to do it, but he had improved considerably. Even so, they couldn't just _stop_ here.

"Fine, let me handle everything," said Sena. "I might be a girl, but I'm around guys all the time. I know all about how they act."

"What are you two talking about, Aniki?" said Yukimura.

"Don't act so excited," said Kodaka. "It's weird. And not manly."

"Hey, Kodaka, didn't you say you went to Yukimura's house?" said Sena.

"Yeah."

"Didn't you say something about his clothes or something?"

"Yeah."

"Did you ever _get_ him new clothes?"

Kodaka looked up. "No."

Sena shook her head. "Oh, my _God_, you're clueless!"

"Fine, fine, I get it! By the way, I have to go now. Kobato's waiting for me to make dinner."

"Fine," said Sena. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Aniki, Sena-anego!"

"Act less excited," said Sena and Kodaka.


	4. The Trap's New Clothes

_This is the longest chapter so far. There'll be plenty more where that came from, but for now, please enjoy (and review!) chapter 4 of _Kodaka's Pet Project_.  
><em>

…

"Do it!"

"A-Aniki, I can't!"

"Do it. You're not a man if you can't say it!"

"_Wa__–__watashi__…__wa__…_[I…I…]"

"No, wrong. Do it again."

"_Demo_…_boku __wa_…[But…I…]"

"Yukimura, if you can't do that, we've wasted all our time on you."

"But…"

"Do it!"

"_O_…_o_…_o_…_re_…_o_…_re_…_o-re_…_o-re_…_ore_…_ore_! I did it! _Ore_!"

"Good! Now say it again!"

"_Ore_! _Ore_! _Ore__ wa__ otoko_! _Ore__ wa__ otoko, __ze_! [I! I! I am a man! I'm a man, yo!]*"

"Yeah, that's right! _Ore_, _ore_, _ore_!"

"_Ore_, _ore_, _ore_!"

"What are you dipshits doing?" barked Yozora. She stood at the entrance to the club room, glowering at Kodaka and Yukimura. "And don't tell me that no one else is here yet!"

"No, I think it's just us three today. I think everyone else had something to do," said Kodaka.

"Yukimura, why the hell aren't you making us tea?" said Yozora.

"Uh…uh…yes, ma'am!" cried Yukimura. He got up and began to boil the water.

Yozora sat down next to Kodaka. "_What_ were you teaching him?"

"Nothing. He asked me to help him speak like a man," said Kodaka. He figured it was OK to shift the blame to Yukimura, since Yozora would just write Yukimura off as an innocent dunce.

Yozora got up to go to the restroom. Kodaka shook his head with a smile. Yozora drank too much tea.

"We're still meeting after club, right, Aniki?"

"That's right."

Yozora came back after several minutes and took her seat between Yukimura and Kodaka.

"Well, this is disgusting. I'm going to take it out on Meat, Perv, Lolita, and Nun later. Meanwhile, club dismissed!"

Yozora leapt up and stalked huffily out of the club room. Yukimura and Kodaka glanced at each other, shrugged, and followed.

"All right. We'll just wait until she's gone, OK?" said Kodaka.

As the two walked out the school and passed the gate, Kodaka suddenly felt something pull his left arm.

Yozora dragged Kodaka to her side. "I forgot to mention, we have things to do. Come on, Kodaka."

"Wait, what's going on? Why isn't Yukimura coming with us?"

"Aniki!"

Yozora stood there with arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face. "Maria just told me that she got us a bigger budget. We've got to spend the money on something or else the money's wasted."

"Do you have any idea what we're going to buy?" said Kodaka.

"No, but as the club vice-president, you're coming with me to decide."

"Since when was I the vice-president of this club?"

"Aniki! Aniki! ANIKI! Aniki…" wailed Yukimura as Yozora dragged Kodaka away.

Yukimura slumped down at the bus stop, staring forlornly at the bus schedule.

"Aniki…"

…

With each step away from Yukimura he took, Kodaka felt a tiny bit of manliness leak out of Yukimura. He wondered whether Maria had even actually gotten the club a bigger budget.

"So, where are we going?" said Kodaka.

Yozora grunted out something indistinct. Kodaka gulped and decided not to ask any further until Yozora found a store to go into.

"Um, Yozora, why are we in a convenience store?"

"Shut up."

Kodaka sighed. He stood at the magazine rack, reading the new manga as Yozora seemed to browse the aisles. Kodaka had finally given up the possibility of doing anything with Yukimura that day. In the larger scheme of things, he knew that it wasn't a big deal, that there was always the next day.

Instead, he was more scared of Yozora than disappointed. As Yozora stepped between the aisles, Kodaka pondered whether she was suspecting anything. She looked awfully annoyed today…but she always looked annoyed.

"Did you find anything?" said Kodaka.

"No. Let's go."

"Hey, if you really have to spend the club budget, how about we buy this magazine?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Let's go."

"But I thought you were having trouble using up the money."

"We're not buying your stupid magazines!"

"Then how about some eroge?"

"Shut the hell up."

Kodaka followed Yozora through every store, eventually spending more than two hours deciding what to buy.

"Um, I gotta go back. Kobato's gonna get hungry."

"Let her starve. She could've come in to club after school."

"Kobato always flakes out. She only comes to half the meetings anyway."

"I don't care."

Kodaka breathed a sigh of relief. There was the possibility that Yozora was just mad at the other club members for not showing up that day.

And there was the possibility that she suspected that he and Yukimura were up to something.

…

"Well, we didn't buy much, did we?"

Yozora shook her head. "Whatever."

"OK, then. I guess we should go home, then."

"Yeah. Bye."

Yozora turned around and walked off. Kodaka stood on the sidewalk and watched her walk off. Shaking his head, he checked his cell phone, wondering if Kobato had called him yet.

His voicemail was empty. Instead, there was a new e-mail.

It was from Yukimura.

"Aniki! Thanks for the surprise! I love you and Sena-anego!"

Kodaka decided to wait until the next day to ask.

…

"Hey, Sena, can you not randomly miss club anymore?"

"Whatever. Screw Yozora. She can stay mad."

"Well, I _was _here, and she…"

"Took it out on you by making you go shopping with her?"

"Yeah—Wait, how did you know that?"

"Aniki! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Yukimura hugged Kodaka. "This was the best surprise ever! I didn't even know you had this secretly planned out for me until I found Sena-anego standing in front of my house! Thank you, Aniki and Sena-anego!"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" grinned Sena. "Aniki really is a crafty one, isn't he?"

"Huh?" said Kodaka.

"Come to my house after club! I wanna show you what Sena-anego bought!"

…

Yozora glared at Kodaka as he left the school gates. She sat at her end of the bus stop, watching as Kodaka and Yukimura got on the same bus together.

"What do you have to show me, again?" said Kodaka.

"Sena-anego! Sena-anego bought them!" cried Yukimura.

"What did Sena buy?"

"Clothes!"

"What?"

Yukimura was jumping up and down in glee all the way to his house. He scampered up the steps to his room, threw the door open, and flung the wide door to his closet.

Kodaka gazed at Yukimura's new wardrobe in amazement. The button-down shirts and khakis were gone. In their place were far more fashionable clothes—T-shirts, black dress shirts, and several jeans.

Yukimura rummaged through his closet, coming out with his hands behind his back.

"Aniki! Guess what else Sena-anego bought me!" Before Kodaka could guess, Yukimura threw his hands into the air. A pair of sneakers fell onto the floor. Kodaka recognized the label, remembering that some American basketball player wore them and that they cost tens of thousands of yen. Meanwhile, Kodaka also found a trilby hat in the pile of clothing.

"Oh, yeah, that! Sena-anego told me it would look good on me!" Yukimura put it on, posing (girlishly). Kodaka nodded and marveled at what Sena had done.

Yukimura turned to his dresser next. "That's not all!"

He opened up the dresser and threw a pile of clothes in the air. Kodaka was showered with some sort of cotton fabric. He picked one up and saw, to his disgust, that it was a pair of boxers.

"Don't throw your underwear up in the air!" exclaimed Kodaka.

"Sorry, Aniki! But Sena-anego thought of everything! She said that I probably don't even wear boxers, because I wasn't manly enough yet. She's right! I've never even touched one before!"

Kodaka shook his head with a smirk. "Oh, Sena…"

…

Sena had a grin on her face as Kodaka came in.

"You're brilliant," said Kodaka.

"I know I'm brilliant. I _am_ the daughter of the headmaster of this school, after all. I skipped out on club to go shopping for new clothes."

"How did you know where Yukimura's house was?"

"I broke into my dad's office and took the student log. Can you believe this school still has those in paper?"

Kodaka sighed and laughed.

"OK, you're good," said Kodaka. As much as he had tried to do it alone, he realized that he needed Sena's help to man Yukimura up.

"Hello, Aniki, Sena-anego!" said Yukimura. He was still happy about the new clothes; he didn't even attempt to look embarrassed in his maid outfit.

Sena leaned back. "Hey, Yukimura…you don't get to wear those clothes at school…you're either in your uniform or that maid outfit."

Yukimura nodded.

"But tomorrow's Saturday, isn't it?" said Kodaka.

Sena smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is."

"What are you thinking?" said Kodaka suspiciously. Sena had done a lot for him in his quest to help Yukimura, but he was still leery of Sena's plans.

Sena whispered something in Kodaka's ear.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

…

"Aniki, what are we doing in front of the school? It's the weekend!"

"I don't know either. Just trust Sena on this and we'll be fine…I hope."

Kodaka clenched the bag in his hands. He glanced at Yukimura's pale white arms, exposed by the T-shirt he was wearing. In fact, Yukimura was wearing all of the new clothes Sena had bought him, which made him look almost like a normal boy.

"What time was Sena-anego supposed to be here, Aniki?"

"Eight minutes ago."

"He-e-e-e-y, guys!" A voice from the distance greeted the two of them. Sena was running up towards them, wearing a sports bra and a rather skimpy pair of gym shorts.

Kodaka blushed as he stared at Sena's clothes. Yukimura didn't seem to notice, saying, "Um, you're late, Sena-anego."

Sena looked rather annoyed. "I didn't know the bus from my house only ran once every thirty minutes! It doesn't get to the school until 10:09 on Saturdays!"

"So, why did you make us get here at 10? We had to take the 9:50 bus. We've been waiting for twenty minutes!"

"I didn't know. I've never taken the bus from my house before," muttered Sena.

Kodaka nodded. That made sense. However…

"What's a rich girl like you doing riding the bus anyway?"

"I don't want Dad to know I'm hanging out with two boys on the weekend. He might get the wrong idea…even though _we__'__re __not __doing __anything__ weird_."

Sena put undue emphasis on the last part, glaring at Kodaka.

"What are we doing, Aniki? Sena-anego?"

Kodaka sighed. "Sena wants us to use the school gym."

"That's right! I forgot to get you gym clothes the other day." Sena tossed a gym bag into Yukimura's hands. "And don't worry. Those are ordinary guy-shorts. I'm not Yozora."

"What are we using the gym for?" Yukimura was utterly bewildered.

"Do you exercise much?" said Kodaka.

"Not really," muttered Yukimura.

"Well, all guys should at least have a little muscle," said Sena. She lifted up Yukimura's arms. "See? They're so slender…I mean, spindly. Even Kodaka has a bit of muscle."

"Thanks…I guess," said Kodaka.

"So, we're just going to do stuff in the gym?" said Yukimura. "But isn't all the equipment locked up?"

"No biggie. I took the key from my dad's office," said Sena.

Kodaka shook his head as he wondered how else Sena might have abused her father's power.

"OK, Yukimura, let's go. We have to change."

"Yes, Aniki!"

Kodaka sat down on the bench and began to unbutton his shirt, wondering why he hadn't just changed his clothes at home.

Kodaka shrugged and turned around. "All right, Yukimura. You ready?"

Kodaka flinched. Yukimura was just inches away from him, staring at him.

Kodaka slid closer. "Hey, uh…how long have you been there?"

"About a minute, Aniki."

"You changed your clothes that fast?"

"I've learned to do it quickly, Aniki. Nobody will come near me in the locker room, so I always change quickly."

"OK, fine. Let's go. Sena's waiting."

Sena stood in the middle of the gym with a basketball in her hands. Kodaka rolled his eyes as he noticed that she was still wearing her butterfly hairclip, even as they were about to, apparently, play basketball.

"That looks good on you, Yukimura. You should wear those more often."

"Thank you, Sena-anego!"

"Now we've got to figure out the teams," said Kodaka.

"2-on-1, you against me and Yukimura," said Sena.

Kodaka shrugged; it didn't seem like any other combination was feasible.

"OK, Yukimura, I'm going to pass to you, all right?"

Yukimura nodded—and stood there as the ball passed above his head.

"You're supposed to catch the ball, Yukimura."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sena-anego!"

After Yukimura missed the ball, Kodaka had easily retrieved the ball. He tossed the ball toward the basket, sinking it in.

"Yukimura!" grumbled Sena.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" said Kodaka.

"Shut up. Check!"

Kodaka caught the ball and passed it back. Sena passed the ball to Yukimura again, who halfheartedly reached his hands out to catch it, only to miss.

"You call that catching the ball?"

"Sena!" said Kodaka, noticing that Yukimura was almost in tears.

Sena sighed. "Sorry, Yukimura…just, don't be so afraid of the ball, OK?"

Kodaka nodded and passed the ball to Yukimura. "Yeah, don't be afraid of it. Here. Go ahead and pass it to Sena."

Yukimura nodded, clenched his eyes shut, and thrust the ball at Sena, sending the ball ten feet to Sena's right.

"Yukimura…you have to keep your eyes open when you pass."

"Sorry, Aniki."

Sena shoved the ball toward the basket. Kodaka marveled as the ball floated through the air—and bounced off the wall in the back, undershooting the basket by several feet.

Kodaka sighed, shaking his head. As bad as Yukimura was…

"Are you any good at basketball, Sena?"

"Shut up! I read that friends play basketball with each other all the time!"

"Have you even played basketball before?"

"Of course I have! Why are you asking me that?"

"Because you've been traveling with the ball for the last minute."

"What's traveling?"

"When you run with the ball without dribbling it."

"What's dribbling?"

Kodaka sighed and cracked his neck. He was going to have to spend the rest of that morning explaining the rules of basketball, and he knew it.

"Why don't we play baseball next time?"

"Baseball isn't as manly!" said Sena. "Basketball's the manliest sport there is! The boys are all dressed in loose jerseys and shorts, baring their rippling arms, sweating and heaving and thrusting and pumping…"

Sena drooled and giggled. Yukimura blushed as he began to think of the same thing.

"Stop that," said Kodaka, flicking Yukimura between the eyes. "_You're_ not supposed to like that."

"So you're saying we should do something other than basketball from now on?" said Sena.

"Exactly. Come on, Yukimura, let's go," said Kodaka.

He pulled Yukimura into the locker room. Again, Kodaka looked away from Yukimura, and again, Yukimura changed clothes in record time. In fact, Kodaka turned around in the bench, shirtless, to see Yukimura standing over him, studying his muscles.

"Aniki, why was Sena-anego like that when she mentioned boys' muscles?"

Kodaka cocked his head in thought. "She probably likes seeing them, like most girls do."

"Oh, are muscles considered attractive in men?"

Kodaka laughed. "Sure. Why do you think we took you here?"

"So, is Aniki attractive?"

Kodaka refused to answer. "Well, that's…every girl has different standards, I guess."

"Then, is Aniki attractive to Sena-anego?"

Kodaka blushed. "I…I don't know. Is there any reason you ask?"

Yukimura gazed at Kodaka, his hands clasped innocently behind his back. "I just notice Aniki looks at Sena-anego a lot. Does Aniki find Sena-anego attractive?"

Kodaka's face turned even redder. "Um…yeah. Yeah, sure."

Yukimura beamed. "Oh, OK!"

Kodaka laughed. "Are you learning something right now?"

Yukimura nodded. "I…think so."

…

*There are several ways to say each pronoun in Japanese. The three Yukimura used are all Japanese for "I". _Watashi_ is used in formal situations and by girls in non-formal situations. _Boku_ is slightly less formal and used by guys and tomboys. _Ore_ is extremely casual, almost vulgar, and used only by guys. It is considered a "manly" word, as is _ze_, which is a word manly guys stick at the end of sentences.

_If you'll notice, this is where things get complicated._ _This chapter is a pivotal point in the story, and the longest chapter so far. So, please, _please_, tear this story apart, from the plot to the development, and give me any suggestions on what to do next. But of course, the biggest thing you can do is expand the tiny section of BokuTomo fanfics._


	5. Their New Routine

"So, we just spent our morning in the school gym. What should we do next?" said Kodaka. He fanned himself with the collar of his shirt. Even if Sena and Yukimura did little more than watch for the rest of the session, Kodaka himself had been working out the whole time trying to teach the two how to play basketball.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

Kodaka and Sena stared at each other and sighed.

"Hey, what do you think, Yukimura? What do you want to do?"

Yukimura flinched. "M-Me? I don't know, Aniki! I'll do whatever you want to do!"

"Um, well, uh, actually, Aniki orders you to come up with something for the three of us to do!"

"Nice save, 'Aniki'," whispered Sena.

Yukimura began to sweat. "What? I…I…um…"

"A-And it has to be manly!" added Kodaka.

Yukimura slumped into a little ball. "I…I…"

Sena rolled her eyes and picked Yukimura up by the collar. "Ignore him. I have an idea."

"What is it?" said Kodaka.

Sena paused. "I think we should get Yukimura a haircut!"

"What?" Kodaka then realized that Sena had a point; Yukimura's hair was ambiguous in length, too long for a guy but too short for most girls.

"Yukimura looks like a girl, even with those clothes, and this was the reason why!" said Sena.

Yukimura held his hand up to his hair and stared at his two sempais. "Will cutting my hair make me manlier?"

Kodaka nodded. "Yeah, we'll just trim it. No buzz cuts or anything. It can't be too different, or else Yozora will object."

Yukimura beamed. "Great! Sena-anego and Aniki are geniuses!"

Sena laughed haughtily. "Of course I am!"

…

Sena and Kodaka sat in the chairs, both peering over the thick fashion magazines they were holding to peek at Yukimura, who was seated in front of a mirror with a hair cloth over his front.

"This is so amazing!" whispered Sena. "Our Yukimura's going to become a man!"

"He's already a guy," said Kodaka. "And we still have plenty more work to do after this."

Yukimura looked back and waved at the two of them. Sena waved back as Kodaka grinned sheepishly. The barber came out, wiping her hands on a towel, tilted Yukimura's head back towards the mirror, and began to wet his hair with a spray bottle.

"I don't know why you insisted on this salon," whispered Sena. "I told you I knew a great salon downtown!"

"Yeah, but your salon's expensive as crap. He only needs a trim."

Sena rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"It really is beautiful, isn't it, though? Watching Yukimura become a normal guy."

"What's wrong with you? What's 'beautiful' about that?"

"You're the one who was all excited about this in the first place!" Kodaka then shook his head. It was useless arguing against Sena. It was always useless arguing against Sena.

Yukimura strutted out of the barbershop with his hair cut just at neck level, and with much shorter bangs. Kodaka couldn't help but feel a little proud at the transformation. Although Yukimura still looked rather delicate and effeminate, it was getting harder to confuse him for a girl now.

"Isn't this great? To tell the truth, I think we've done enough manning up for today," said Kodaka. "Why don't we just relax for the rest of the day and go look at some of the stores or something?"

Yukimura giggled softly, touching and massaging his hair, not even paying attention to what Kodaka had said.

…

Yozora slipped into the room, silent in her steps. She settled down in the couch and waited for her daily tea.

"Your tea, Yozora-anego!" said Yukimura as he presented the steaming cup.

"Thank y—" Yozora stopped. She gazed at Yukimura. "What happened to your hair?"

"Uh…um…" Yukimura glanced at Kodaka, who shook his head. "Father took me to get my hair cut. They cut it a bit shorter than usual…"

"Where's your hairclip? The flower-shaped one."

"Um, I think it's in my shoe locker."

"Well, _go__ and __get__ it_," hissed Yozora.

"Uh…yes, ma'am!" whimpered Yukimura.

Yozora sat down between Kodaka and Sena. Her crossed arms and furrowed brows dampened the mood entirely.

"Kodaka-sempai!"

"Onii-chan!"

Rika and Maria, the two cheeriest members of the club, came rushing in at almost the same time. They both headed straight for Kodaka until they caught the full force of Yozora's simmering anger.

"Yozora-sempai…"

"Yozora…"

Rika and Maria backed away and shot inquiring looks at Kodaka. Kodaka shook his head.

"Yozora-anego, I'm back."

Yozora refused to look back at Yukimura. "Get me my tea."

Yukimura bowed his head, and his body seemed to shrink away. "Yes, ma'am."

The entire club remained silent. When Yukimura presented Yozora with her tea, the tension in the room seemed to loosen considerably.

"What did you cook today, Yukimura?" Maria leaned over the sofa, her mouth half-open and a string of drool hanging out.

Yukimura hopped up out of the sofa. "I have your bento right here, Maria-sensei!"

"Yay!" Maria dashed for the box and opened it up. She marveled at the choice cuts of meat, sliced into cubes, as well as the brilliant white rice and fresh, steamed vegetables.

"Itadakimasu!" Maria began to dig in. The entire club focused on Maria, watching with varying degrees of interest or boredom.

Meanwhile, Maria's gaze began to drift from the food to Yukimura. At first starting with a glance or two, she was virtually gawking at Yukimura's hair by the time she was done.

"Your hair's different," she said.

"That's right, Maria-sensei. I had it cut this weekend. Do you like it?"

Maria gazed at Yukimura's head for several seconds, saying nothing. Finally…

"Mm-hmm!" Maria beamed and nodded.

Meanwhile, Yozora glared at Kodaka and Sena, creasing her brows suspiciously.

…

"Come. We're still not finished buying stuff," said Yozora. She dragged Kodaka as soon as the two of them were out of the school.

Kodaka glanced back at Yukimura, who seemed utterly lost whenever Kodaka wasn't around.

Sena emerged from the entrance and took Yukimura by the arm. She winked at Kodaka as she escorted Yukimura out of the grounds. Kodaka smiled and nodded.

"So, what are we doing today?" said Kodaka.

"I told you, we're buying stuff," said Yozora.

"Yeah, I know that. So why are we walking into a coffee shop?"

"Shut up." Yozora got into the back of the line, wearing the same sullen look she always wore as she stared up at the menu.

"Welcome to Sudohbucks, how may I help you?" said the girl at the counter.

"A tall brewed coffee."

"Um, yes…" said the cashier, startled at Yozora's directness. "That'll be 600 yen, please."

Yozora paid without saying a word.

"Welcome to Sudohbucks, how may I help you?" said the girl.

"Um, a frap—" Kodaka felt Yozora's eyes boring into his side. "I mean, a tall brewed coffee, please."

"Yes, that'll be 600 yen, please."

Kodaka shook his head as he took his coffee, sighing as he grabbed a fistful of sugar and creamer at the condiments section.

Yozora gulped from her still-steaming cup as she took a window stool. Kodaka took the seat next to her and began emptying the packets into his cup.

"You're drinking it black? And while it's still hot?" said Kodaka.

"Yeah…is there anything wrong with that?"

"No, not really. Most people don't do that, though," said Kodaka.

"So does that mean there's something wrong with them, or _me_…?"

"Hm?"

"Nothing." Yozora laid her chin on her hand.

Kodaka took the cup of now creamy-brown coffee and took a sip. He nodded and put the cup back down, swiveling around in his chair as he observed the people in the line. He tried not to notice Yozora's persistent gaze boring into his neck.

"You know, coffee shops are a great place to go people-watching," said Kodaka.

"What's that?" said Yozora halfheartedly without even shifting her gaze away from Kodaka.

"Well, we're both doing it right now. It's when you just look at other people doing stuff."

"They have a name for it?" said Yozora.

"Yeah. It's supposed to be a great social activity, but most of the time people do it together, as in they'll talk about weird people they see."

Yozora looked up. With a disgusted expression, she scoffed, "How stupid."

Kodaka shrugged. "Whatever. Should we go now?"

A pang of guilt flashed across Yozora's face. "Sure. Whatever."

…

"So you two never actually ended up buying anything?" said Sena.

"No. I don't know what we did. We just kind of walked around after we got the coffee," said Kodaka. He slumped back on the couch. "It was really weird."

Yukimura walked in nervously, clutching his maid uniform.

"Aniki, I was watching a TV show from America last night."

"Really?"

"It had these tanned men with huge muscles. They were talking about what it meant to be a true man. They said to be a man, you had to focus on…'gym, tanning, and laundry'."

Kodaka raised his eyebrow. "Laundry?"

Yukimura shook his head. "I don't get it either. Maybe it was the translation? But I saw them, and I realized they are the epitome of manliness! And then, when I saw how they acted, I realized how embarrassing it is that I have to wear this maid outfit every day."

Kodaka nodded. "Good, good…"

"This is really humiliating, isn't it, Aniki? Is this what you were trying to tell me when you said I should be embarrassed about wearing this?"

Kodaka nodded and pretended that that was exactly what he was thinking. "Yes, yes…"

Yukimura blushed and nodded. "OK…"

"Yes, but you're not done yet, Yukimura. You can't just be embarrassed. To only be humiliated is unbecoming for a man. You have to be _angry_ about it, too."

"I-I don't know if I can be angry about it, Aniki."

"That's your next assignment," said Kodaka. Then, hastily, he added, "And, by the way, I want to hear you use _ore_ around me. Or at least _boku_."

"But I already did, that one time, Aniki…"

"That was only once. You have to do it all the time. At least, when Yozora's not around."

"Y-Yes, Aniki!" Yukimura bowed, almost knocking over the teacups.

Kodaka lay back on the sofa. When he was around Yukimura, it was almost as if a more confident side of him showed itself, one that didn't usually appear in other situations. If he didn't know any better, Kodaka would have thought that he was truly becoming Yukimura's Aniki.

"Nice work," whispered Sena. Kodaka didn't even care if she was being sarcastic anymore. "By the way, did you remember your hairclip, Yukimura?"

"Oh, I forgot!"


	6. Is This A Date?

"What are we doing here?" said Kodaka.

Sena flipped her hair around her shoulders. "It's obvious. We're here to talk about Yukimura."

"Shouldn't he be here?"

"No. We're here to discuss what we should do about him next. He doesn't need to know yet."

"Oh. Is there anything wrong with what we're doing right now?"

"No, but we have to go further."

"OK, that makes sense. But does that have anything to do with why we're here at the park?" said Kodaka. He looked around. It was a bright and sunny day. There were trees everywhere, displaying their lush green leaves in the height of summer. Children were running around on the playground.

"It was pretty outside, and I felt like going to the park," said Sena. "Got a problem with that?"

"No," replied Kodaka.

"Good." Sena produced an umbrella. She extended her arm, presenting it to Kodaka.

"What's this? What do I do with it?"

"It's a parasol. Open it up and use it to cover both of us."

"Why do you want it? Isn't it going to block out the sun?"

"Of course it is! Do you expect me, with my beautiful, white skin, to expose myself to the sun without any protection?"

Kodaka shrugged and opened up the parasol. He flipped it over Sena's head, stretching it out until it completely shielded her.

"What are you doing all the way over there? Why is your arm out so much?" said Sena.

"_I_ enjoy the sun. I don't need any shade," said Kodaka.

"Get under here!" Sena pulled Kodaka next to her body. "Now, let's talk about Yukimura."

"Um…" said Kodaka. "…Well, if you look at him now, he looks like any other guy."

Sena nodded. "So, what's next?"

Kodaka pondered the question. "I think we have to let Yukimura decide for himself. But I think one thing we have to do is get him used to the idea of being a boy."

"What do you mean? Isn't he already used to being a boy?"

"Well, everyone used to think he was a girl. He still has to wear that maid uniform during club. We have to make him think like a boy now. We have to…make him normal."

"Make him normal…" Sena looked very interested in the concept. "So, is he not normal?"

"No one in the club is," said Kodaka.

Sena gazed up at Kodaka. "What do you mean by that?"

Kodaka suddenly remembered that Sena was a club member, too.

"Well, we're all kind of…weird, I guess."

Sena grabbed Kodaka's arm and held him closer. "So I'm weird, aren't I?"

"Uh…no, that's not what I meant!" said Kodaka.

"I don't have any friends because I'm rich, spoiled, and arrogant. I get it," said Sena.

Kodaka said nothing, which revealed a lot in itself.

"You didn't think I knew, did you?" said Sena. She sighed and buried her mouth and nose in Kodaka's arm. "I might act like a bitch sometimes, but I think I'd give all my money away to have friends."

Kodaka said nothing, this time because he really didn't know how to react.

Sena lifted her head. "Whatever. Me complaining about myself isn't going to help Yukimura."

"Well, Yukimura really likes you now. When he becomes normal, he'll remember everything you did for him," said Kodaka.

Sena laughed. "Is that why you're doing all this for him?"

"What?"

"You want to make him into a normal boy because you want someone to be your friend, don't you?"

"That's not it…"

"Don't worry. That's why I'm doing it, too. We're going to work together, then, OK? Since we share the same motive and all…"

Sena noticed an ice cream stand. Pointing, she impulsive ran up towards it. Kodaka rushed up after her with the parasol.

"Want a frozen lemonade?" said Sena, gleefully taking her wallet out of her purse.

Kodaka laughed. "Sure."

"I'm paying." Sena bought a frozen lemonade and promptly handed it to Kodaka. Kodaka tore off the top of the packaging and began to suck on the ice.

"You don't want one?" said Kodaka.

Sena broke out of her trance staring at Kodaka's ice. "Huh? Of course I want one! Oh, wait…yeah…we need to get separate lemonades…cause we can't be sharing the same one…because we're not a couple…that's right…"

Despite the purpose of the meeting, the two didn't end up talking much about Yukimura.

"Hey, I'm hungry. Are you?" said Sena.

"Do you want to eat lunch right now?" said Kodaka.

"Of course. I'm paying," said Sena. "Since I asked you to come all the way here."

Sena shot Kodaka a smile and then tugged him along out of the park. They traveled two blocks until they both stopped outside an Italian restaurant. The inside was warmly lit, with wine bottles lined up on wooden racks. The walls were decorated with faded frescos that resembled ancient Roman paintings. The floors were layered in marble purposely cracked and scuffed to give an aged effect, and stone columns along the walls were draped with life-like vines.

"This place looks legit."

"A table for two, please," said Sena to the hostess.

Kodaka and Sena followed the hostess to their table. Kodaka automatically pulled the chair back for Sena to sit.

"Thank you, Kodaka," said Sena.

"Uh, you're welcome." Kodaka realized what he was doing and blushed. He then took his own seat and waited for the waitress.

Sena rested with both her fists pressed up against her cheeks, intently observing Kodaka.

"So, how has everything been going, living alone with Kobato?" said Sena.

"Oh, it's all right. Like I said, I'm used to it," said Kodaka.

"Don't you ever miss your father?"

"I guess. But it seems like your father misses my father more than we do," said Kodaka. He still remembered his rather eventful visit to Sena's house.

"Hm, your father and my father are good friends, aren't they?" said Sena.

"Yeah," said Kodaka.

"Wouldn't it be nice if they were more than friends?" said Sena.

Kodaka sprung back in his chair. "What? That's disgusting!"

"That's not what I meant, you idiot!" cried Sena. "I mean, what if…Forget it. Never mind!"

The waitress came and took Kodaka's and Sena's orders, bringing a complementary appetizer.

Attempting to diffuse the awkward silence, Kodaka reached for the basket. "Breadstick?"

Sena glared at Kodaka. "Yes, please."

…

"Hey, don't you think that flaming tiger design is over the top? Yukimura would look horrible in that."

"That was for me…" Kodaka gingerly placed the T-shirt back on the rack.

"Well, it'd look terrible on you, too," said Sena bluntly. She rummaged through the girls' section, taking out a miniskirt.

"Are you seriously going to buy that?" said Kodaka.

Sena shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

"How long have we been going through these stores?"

"About an hour. Why?"

"I just got an e-mail from Kobato. She's hungry."

"Then go and feed her."

Sena followed Kodaka out of the store. Kodaka and Sena walked to the bus stop together.

"Did you take the bus into the city again?" said Kodaka.

"Yeah."

Kodaka's bus arrived from the distance. Kodaka got on the bus, and then, gripping the handrail, turned back.

"I guess this is goodbye for today, then."

"Yeah."

Sena remained perfectly expressionless as the bus pulled away. Only when it was completely out of sight did her entire body redden up and her breathing become rushed.

…

"Aniki, I watched that American show again last night!"

Kodaka raised his eyebrows. "You seem to be watching it an awful lot, Yukimura."

"Uh-huh! I think it's really good! They don't seem to be very smart, but they seem to be really manly."

"What's so great about this show that you watch it all the time?" asked Kodaka. He was actually curious; this was the fourth time Yukimura had mentioned watching the show.

"Well, they have a website, but it's in English."

"I know a little bit of English. I'm half-English after all…" Kodaka got up to retrieve the only computer in the room—the laptop Sena was playing her eroge on.

"Hey!" yelled Sena as Kodaka unplugged her headphones, closed out of her porn, and snatched the laptop away.

"OK, now show me the website," said Kodaka.

"Um…" Yukimura pulled up the Google and began typing in the search box. "M…T…V…"

Kodaka widened his eyes as he saw the website. "Are these people really Americans? They look like aliens…they're so orange…"

Yukimura pulled up a clip. The two of them watched it for a few seconds before Kodaka closed the window in disgust.

"What are they doing? I can't understand anything they're saying! The accent's so thick…"

Yukimura beamed. "It's what they call a 'reality show' in America. They all live together in a house by the beach for the summer, and they work at a shop during the day. Then, at night, they go out and party!"

"They do that all summer?" said Kodaka.

"Yes! They're all a bunch of meatheads and delinquents!" exclaimed Yukimura with the same sunny face.

"And you want to copy them?" said Kodaka in shock.

"At first, when I saw the show, I was completely disgusted," said Yukimura. "But then, I saw the guys, and even though they're repulsive, they're very manly! The way they remorselessly do whatever they want reminds me of Oda Nobunaga!"

"Nobunaga wasn't orange…" Kodaka sighed. "Whatever you say. Give me the channel and time this show plays. I'm going to watch it."

Sena scrolled through the Internet history on her laptop. She watched the clip Yukimura and Kodaka had watched. Wrinkling her nose, she said, "Are you sure you want to do this, Kodaka?"

"Yeah," said Kodaka.

"Then I'm watching it, too."

…

As club ended, Kodaka found himself intercepted by Yozora again. Yukimura and Sena went their separate paths, since Kodaka and Sena had both agreed that it was no longer necessary to keep Yukimura under such close watch anymore.

"Let me guess…" said Kodaka. "Spending the club's—"

"Yes," said Yozora sullenly.

Kodaka wondered why Yozora kept taking him on these long shopping trips where they never bought anything. He had long since abandoned the theory that Yozora was on to him and Sena because Yozora hadn't mentioned anything about it yet.

"Hey, what was all that stuff you said about people watching?" said Yozora.

"I dunno, you just sit somewhere public and look at all the people that pass by," said Kodaka. "By the way, we're going the wrong way. This leads _away_ from the stores."

"I know."

"This leads to the park."

"I know."

Kodaka followed blindly along. Yozora walked into the park, through the greenery and trees, and straight to a concession stand.

"Yozora?"

"H-Here!" Yozora had two hot dogs in her hands, and she handed one over to Kodaka.

Kodaka accepted it, noting that there were onions on it; he hated onions. "Um, what are we doing?"

Yozora ignored him and walked toward a bench. She sat down on one side, glaring at the space in front of her.

Kodaka slid down next to Yozora. He looked down at his hot dog and took a bite.

"We're people watching!" said Yozora grudgingly.

"People watching?"

"Yes, people watching! If it's really something normal people do, then I want to try it out."

Kodaka said nothing and obediently ate his hot dog. After several minutes…

"What's so fun about this?" Yozora tisked impatiently, growling in disgust.

"You talk about the people you see with the person next to you," said Kodaka.

"What do you mean?"

"You make comments. You know, on anything unusual you notice."

"Fine…" Yozora finished her hot dog, crumpled up the foil, and threw it carelessly on the ground.

After a few more minutes of silence…

"They all look like maggots."

"Um…how about I start?"

He motioned toward a group of schoolgirls giggling in the middle of conversation. "Have you noticed how a lot of teenage girls are wearing those oversized socks with their school uniforms?"

"It makes them all look like the stupid sluts they are."

Kodaka shrunk away from Yozora. "OK…Well, it looks like that guy in the suit's on a break."

"He probably got that paunch from drinking himself to death, like all the businessmen do."

Kodaka nodded as he grimaced. "Sure…Um, I have to go make dinner now."

Yozora crossed her arms and turned her head away from Kodaka. "Fine."

Kodaka got up. "OK, then. Bye then."

"Goodbye."

Yozora didn't even glance at Kodaka as he walked out of the park. It was only when he was definitely gone that she propped her knees up on the bench against her chest as she buried her head in her legs.


	7. In America, we don't admire guidos

That night, as soon as Kobato was done with her anime, Kodaka swiped the remote from the coffee table and switched to the appropriate channel. Kobato stared at her older brother in surprise.

Kodaka waited patiently as the credits for the previous show rolled through. Then…

"Uwa…what is this garbage?" Kobato rolled on the ground, covering her eyes.

"Don't worry about it…it's club business," said Kodaka.

"Fu, fu, fu…of course I have to worry about it. If my other half destroys his mind with this filth, it obviously affects me."

"You're just worried about that because I cook dinner for you."

"Ku, ku, ku…you _are_ my mortal servant, after all."

"Yeah, yeah. If you don't want to watch it, you don't have to."

"No…perhaps I _will_ sample this bilge after all, if only to build up an immunity."

As Kodaka and Kobato soon realized, American reality shows were very addictive. Even as they both recoiled in disgust at the people on the screen, the whole wreck was too fascinating _not_ to watch.

Kodaka turned off the television an hour later.

"Uwa…what was the point of that anyway?" moaned Kobato.

"It's for a friend," said Kodaka.

"Your friend can go die in a hole. That whole performance was black magic. BLACK MAGIC!"

"I thought _you_ used black magic. Aren't you supposed to be a vampire or something?"

…

"Did you watch it, Aniki?"

Kodaka scowled at Yukimura. "Those are horrible people."

"Yes, but they were manly, weren't they?"

"Yes, even the women were."

"Why does he like watching that?" said Sena. She had a blank look in her eyes; she had seen the show, too.

"You actually watched it…"

"So did you."

Turning back to Yukimura, Kodaka said, "I learned something from that show."

"Yes, Aniki?"

"They all had self-confidence. Actually, they had too much of it. But even so, to be a real man—no, to be a real person, you have to have self-confidence."

Yukimura nodded. "How do I do that, Aniki?"

"For starters, you can stop worshipping Kodaka," said Sena, who was already in the clubroom and sitting on the couch across from Kodaka. "And worship me instead."

"Well…" said Kodaka, ignoring Sena. "You don't curse very much, do you, Yukimura?"

"No…"

"Have you been practicing your _ore_'s?"

"I try to, but…"

"How about this? Every time you use _watashi_ or _boku_ when Yozora's not around, I punch you."

"That…that sounds like it would hurt."

"Good," said Kodaka. He smirked as he rolled up his sleeves."

"You're not really going to punch me, are y—OW!"

"Use _ore_."

"But I—OW!"

"Oh, and start cursing more."

"Cursing? But, I've never used any—OW!—curse words before!"

Kodaka wrung out his fist. "Well, start learning."

Sena shook her head and buried her face back into the eroge on her computer.

…

"_O-Ore_…Aniki, I think I got a bruise."

"Don't worry. It'll heal."

"What are we doing here anyway?"

Kodaka raised his arm and motioned to the machines, treadmills, mirrors, and TV's. "What does it look like? We're going to the gym."

Yukimura blushed. "I know that. But why?"

"You need some muscle. Actually, I do, too," said Kodaka. "If you really want to be a man, this is something a man has to do."

Yukimura followed Kodaka tentatively. He had never actually been inside a gym's workout room before, and he cowered at the sight of so many muscled people lifting barbells and bench pressing.

"We can start out with one of the lighter barbells," said Kodaka. He took a pair of two-kilogram weights and handed them to Yukimura. "Just lift them up and down…like this."

Yukimura took the barbells and slowly flexed his arms. Kodaka held his hands to his hips, watching.

"Like this, Aniki?"

"Yeah." Kodaka nodded as he realized that it had been awhile since he had last been inside a gym himself. With hesitation, he took a heavier pair of barbells and began to lift them himself.

"What are all those balls over there for?" said Yukimura, pointing to several small basketball-like objects lying on the ground.

"You know, let's get one of the trainers. They can explain it better than I can." In reality, Kodaka had no idea how to use these machines.

"Um, excuse me," said Kodaka as he saw someone who looked like a trainer. "He's new to this gym, and we were hoping we could go through all the machines."

"Sure," said the trainer. "Follow me."

"These are medicine balls. You just hold them over your head while you do sit ups…"

Yukimura stared at the tiny basketball-like weights, nodding and noting the "5 kg" printed on the side.

Kodaka stood behind Yukimura, making sure to remember the name for future reference.

"You use these machines to stretch out your abs. You have to get on it like this, and then you follow the diagrams over here…"

Yukimura gasped in awe, nodding eagerly.

Kodaka stood off in the distance, clasping his hand to his chin, making mental notes.

"…And that's all the machines in the gym. Think you got it?"

"Yes, thank you, gym trainer-san!" cried Yukimura.

"Well, thank you for explaining. I don't think I could have done a better job," said Kodaka with a smug smirk.

The trainer nodded and began to walk away until he felt a tug on his shirt.

"Uh…hey, can you show me how to use that one again?" whispered Kodaka.

…

Guys no longer ran away in shock anymore when Yukimura walked in the locker rooms.

"That was a great workout!" cried Kodaka.

"Thanks for taking me to work out with you, Aniki!" said Yukimura as he slipped his T-shirt over his chest. Kodaka turned away out of reflex. He still felt nervous whenever Yukimura took off his shirt, and he gulped as he heard Yukimura put his shirt back on.

"Where are you going, Yukimura?"

"To the toilet."

The lockers were connected to the toilets. Kodaka changed back, slung his bag over his shoulder, and headed to the toilet. To his surprise, he found Yukimura at the faucets, not washing his hands, but…

"Yukimura! What the hell are you doing?"

Yukimura looked up, lifting the razor off his legs. "Aniki?"

"What are you doing to your legs?"

"I'm shaving them, Aniki!" Yukimura raised his razor, which still had a spot of white shaving cream on it.

"Why are you shaving your legs?" Kodaka slapped the razor away, sending it flying across the row of faucets until it landed in a sink on the other side of the restroom.

"I've always shaved my legs…" said Yukimura.

"Guys don't shave legs," said Kodaka.

"Oh…" Yukimura glanced down at Kodaka's legs and noted the brownish hairs that covered them. "Um, Aniki?"

"Yeah?"

Yukimura motioned towards his right leg, which was still stretched out on the sink. "I'm kind of halfway through with my right leg. Can I finish up?"

"…Fine."

…

"That was great, Aniki!" said Yukimura. "I feel stronger already!"

Kodaka punched Yukimura in the chest. "Use _ore_."

"Oh, yeah."

"How would you like to do this every weekend?"

Yukimura beamed. "Really? You'd spend every weekend with me?"

"Actually, I was thinking you could also spend some more time with Sena."

"Sena-anego?"

Kodaka stopped. They had walked out of the gym and were in the middle of the sidewalk. He stared up in the sky. "Yukimura, how do you view Sena? Or Yozora? Or Rika? Or even my sister or Maria?"

"I guess they're all my friends. We always do things together."

"That's the problem. They're _not_ friends. I mean, they're not just friends."

"What do you mean, Aniki?"

"Don't you get it, Yukimura? Do you know why all the guys used to act like that around you when you looked like a girl?"

"Aniki?"

"Yukimura, do you even know what things are supposed to be like between a guy and a girl?"

"A-Are you talking about…"

"Yes."

"You mean…_doing __it_?"

"Ye—NO! Well, not necessarily. Just liking someone. You're a guy. You should start liking a girl…unless you're gay. That's all right, but I have no idea if you are or not."

"No, I'm not gay, Aniki! Really! I'm not!"

Kodaka shrugged. "All right, then. But I've never seen you get really close with a girl before."

"Then I'll do it! I promise I will!"

"It's not that important. I don't really get close to girls very much. I just wanted you to know, that's all."

Kodaka then pointed to a group of high school girls chatting on their cell phones.

"What do you think of them?" he said.

"Aniki?"

"I mean…what do you feel when you see them?" said Kodaka.

"I…don't know. I've never met them before."

"I mean, do you think they're hot?"

Yukimura froze up, as if Kodaka had introduced a completely foreign concept to him. He obviously knew what "hot" meant, but he had never thought of the word as anything other than a word other people used.

"How about cute? Do you think they're cute?" said Kodaka.

"No! Cute are things like…stuffed animals and children…"

Kodaka shrugged. "All right. Well, don't worry about it too much for now."

…

"You want me to do _what_?" said Sena.

"I don't mean now. But, I want you to go on a date with Yukimura, eventually."

Sena gripped her blouse. "That's kind of a lot to ask, you know, just going on a date with someone like that."

"Well, it's the last step, isn't it? Going out with a girl," said Kodaka.

"Have you ever done it before?"

"No." Kodaka averted his eyes. "Girls always get scared off by my looks."

"How do you expect me to go on a date with Yukimura? I'll always imagine him as the cute maid girl…"

"Cute?"

"Nothing!" Sena clutched her eroge close to her chest.

"You don't have to do it now. It'll be a final test, I guess." Kodaka rolled his eyes and glanced down at his magazine.

"It's not Yukimura I want to go out with," muttered Sena.

…

"Yukimura."

"Yeah, what the fuck do you want?"

"Good job."

"Thanks, Aniki!"

"Yukimura."

"Piss off!"

"Good job."

Sena peered over the book she was reading for homework to see what the two were doing. She shook her head and returned to her assignment.

"Now, remember, don't curse whenever you feel like it. Cursing isn't good. But you still have to know how to do it," said Kodaka.

"Yes, Aniki!" cried Yukimura.

"Good. That is all for today," said Kodaka. "Now put on your maid uniform before Yozora comes in."

Yukimura groaned as he rushed out of the room to change.

"You're becoming quite the teacher," said Sena.

"Well, Yukimura's catching on fast," said Kodaka.

"Hey, Kodaka, you know, about the other day…Were you serious when you said I was going to be Yukimura's prize if he successfully acted like a guy?"

Kodaka shook his head. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to. I was just thinking that for his final test, he could ask you out."

Sena shrugged. "I don't really _mind_ doing it. But, you know…I haven't gone on a date before."

"_You_?"

"Don't tell me you think I'd actually go on a date with one of those idiots that follow me around all the time."

"That makes sense, I guess."

"To tell the truth, I don't want to make a fool of myself by making my first ever date with Yukimura. I'll probably turn him down."

Kodaka wiped his forehead in exasperation. "Fine. Whatever."

"Unless…that won't be my first ever date."

"What are you saying?"

Sena swiveled towards Kodaka with a grin. "Be my practice date."

"Huh? Um…I wouldn't be very good at it."

"Me neither. So much the better. I'll call you later with the time later."

"Good."

"By the way," said Kodaka. "Where are we going?"

Sena smiled and hid her face under the magazine. "That's a secret."


	8. The Joy of Internet Sex

Kodaka paced nervously in his room. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon. Yet, instead of walking around outside, which he preferred doing, he was shutting himself up in his room with the blinds down. It was completely dark in his room, other than the faint light that seeped through the blinds and the dull glow of his computer loading.

The doorbell rang downstairs. Kodaka rose and moved shakily toward the door.

It was Yukimura.

"You're here. Good. Follow me." Kodaka went upstairs without glancing back at Yukimura. His dour face sent chills through Yukimura's spine. "Remember, don't tell Kobato about _any_ of this."

"Yes, Aniki."

Kodaka opened the door into his room, allowing Yukimura in first. He looked about him and then shut the door, locking it behind him.

"This is important, OK? You have to learn this. All guys do this."

"Yes, Aniki."

"When you told me you didn't, I was kind of surprised. Scared, even."

"Yes, Aniki."

"Good." Kodaka opened up the internet browser on his computer. He typed something in the address bar and pressed _Enter_.

Kodaka scrolled through the page and clicked on one of the buttons. "There's always an intro as a shoddy excuse to make a plot. We'll just skip through that,"

The video on the screen, which had an actress dressed as a schoolgirl, skipped several minutes forward thanks to Kodaka's help, until it showed that same actress on her knees, with the uniform largely stripped from her body so that her small breasts were exposed.

Yukimura's face paled, and he covered his mouth with his hands.

Kodaka pressed the pause button. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"No! I have to do it! For myself!"

"I'm serious. You don't have to like girls or watch porn to be a real man."

"I'm watching the video!" Yukimura whimpered—then grabbed the mouse from Kodaka's hands and pressed the play button.

The two of them sat there awkwardly for the next few minutes as they watched the porn on Kodaka's computer.

"OK, Yukimura, you're sure you want to go through with the next step?" said Kodaka.

"Yes!" Yukimura began to unzip his pants.

"Not while I'm in the room!" cried Kodaka. He got up, rushed to the door, and unlocked it. Turning back, he added, "The tissues are over there beside my bed. Don't make any loud noises. Turn the speakers on, but use the headphones. I'll come back in when the movie's over."

Kodaka relocked the door and forced it shut. He stood in front of the door, staring down the empty hallway. Kobato was downstairs, watching that wretched anime again. There was absolutely nothing more for Kodaka to do but wait for Yukimura to do his business.

His mind wandered back to the events that had led up to this crazy stunt.

…

"Sena, for the love of God, has there been a day here where you haven't been playing that game?" said Kodaka.

Sena looked up from her game and stuck her tongue out. "You can't appreciate fine art, that's all."

Yukimura popped up out of nowhere. "Why does Sena-anego like those kinds of games, Aniki?"

Kodaka smiled and shrugged. "Same reason you and I like them, I guess."

"Why do I like those games?"

Kodaka cleared his throat. "Um…I'm not saying you _do_ like those games. But, uh…I'm sure it would appeal to you…I mean…uh…it's normal for us guys to like that kind of stuff, I guess. Maybe not the games themselves, but, uh…"

"Nice one, dumbass," sneered Sena.

"Why would you and I like those games?" said Yukimura again.

Kodaka blushed. He didn't want to explain right in front of Sena.

"Well, you know, all guys have those hormones, right? It's like that other day when I told you most guys like girls."

Yukimura nodded. "Oh. You mean all guys like seeing naked girls getting pounded?"

Sena and Kodaka doubled over in shock.

"Well, not gay guys," said Kodaka.

"Do gay guys like seeing naked guys get pounded, then?" said Yukimura.

"Don't ask me!"

"Do you like watching naked girls get pounded, then, Aniki?" said Yukimura.

Kodaka clutched his face, wanting to evaporate right that moment. "Sure. Yeah, I like watching porn! Happy now?"

"What kind of porn?" said Yukimura.

"I…uh, I don't know! Magazines! Videos!"

"What kind of girls do you like to look at?" Yukimura didn't get the hint.

"Blondes and schoolgirls," said Kodaka automatically. Sena covered her mouth in horror.

"Does this mean watching porn will make me manlier?" said Yukimura.

"Yes it will," chirped Sena.

Kodaka desperately wished that they could change the subject.

"I've never watched porn before," said Yukimura. "I don't know what it's like or why people like it."

Kodaka almost felt a twinge of sympathy for Yukimura until he remembered what they were talking about.

"I know, why don't you ask Kodaka to teach you about it?" said Sena with an innocent smile. She shoved Yukimura toward Kodaka, put her earphones back on, and continued with her eroge.

Yukimura gazed at Kodaka with an expectant smile, waiting to hear the secrets of pornography.

"You pull up a video, you jack off to it, and then you clear the browser history! What else is there to know about it?" cried Kodaka in exasperation.

"What do you mean?" said Yukimura.

Kodaka realized that if Yukimura was telling the truth, and that he really hadn't ever watched porn on a computer before, then he didn't even know the basic meaning behind these words.

"Fine. I'll show you what I mean. Come to my house tomorrow afternoon after school, all right?"

"Yes, Aniki! I'm so happy! Aniki's going to teach me the joy of porn!"

Kodaka groaned.

…

Kodaka leaned against the door, trying not to listen to hard to what was happening on the other side.

"Fu, fu, fu, what's my servant doing standing _outside_ his room?"

Kodaka snapped out of his flashback. His sister was standing in front of him, gazing up at him with a curious look on her face.

"Nothing, Kobato. I've got Yukimura over today."

"Ku, ku, ku…That doesn't explain why he's in your room and you're not."

"Uh…well…it's a secret. I can't tell you why."

"Why not, An-chan?" Kobato instantly broke out of character, balling her hands up into fists and whining as she stomped her feet.

"I can't explain," said Kodaka.

"Fine!" Kobato made a run for it, slipping around Kodaka until her hands gripped the doorknob. She pulled on it but found it stubbornly refusing to give.

"I locked the door," said Kodaka.

"That's all right! I know where all the keys are!" cried Kobato.

Kodaka remembered—their house came with little brass keys that could be used to unlock any interior door in the house. He remembered the time he and Kobato had collected them all and stashed them in his room, until their father had told them to stop.

"Those are for emergencies, like in case you get locked out of a room. That's why you have to place them all over the house."

Kodaka and Kobato had put all the keys back after that. Unfortunately, that had been the first time they lived at this house, around ten years ago. He had long since forgotten where the keys were.

Unfortunately, it sounded like Kobato hadn't.

"Kobato! KOBATO!" Kodaka flew down the stairs, chasing Kobato, who was giggling as she scampered from room to room.

"I'll stop if An-chan tells me what Yukimura-sempai's doing inside your room!"

"I _can't_ tell you that. Get back here! Come on, we'll go out for some ice cream. I'll buy you the new tankobon for that manga you like so much! Kobato!"

"No! Kobato wants to see what Yukimura-sempai's doing!"

"No, not gonna happen!" Kodaka grabbed Kobato by the waist, holding her close to him. "Now, just sit down and watch some anime or something, all right?"

"No, no, no!"

"Then I'm not letting go." Kodaka pressed Kobato against himself, tightening his grip.

Kobato blushed. "An-chan."

"Don't tell me you have to go to the bathroom."

"No…it's just that…An-chan…"

"What?"

"I'm getting wet…"

Kodaka let go in horror. "WHAT?"

"Fu, fu, just kidding!" Kobato dashed away.

Kodaka ground his teeth in anger. "Kobato, get back here!"

Kodaka chased Kobato down a hallway that led into a dead end. There was only one room at the end of the hallway. If he got there, he could corner Kobato and catch her.

Kodaka was shocked to suddenly see Kobato running towards him. His shock allowed Kobato to slip just past him. Kodaka bolted after her.

"Ha, ha, An-chan wants to keep a secret from me!" Kobato leapt up the stairs. Kodaka's room was the second door in the upstairs hallway. She was almost there…

"Gotcha!" Kodaka gripped Kobato's leg just as she was about to reach the top step. Kobato fell to the ground. Refusing to give up, though, she began to crawl toward Kodaka's door.

Kodaka pulled Kobato back. Kobato fought back, gripping the hardwood floor with her fingers as she kicked Kodaka with her feet. Kodaka felt the impact of Kobato's foot against his nose and let go in pain.

Kobato managed to crawl to within two feet of Kodaka's door when he caught hold of her again.

"Let go, An-chan!" squealed Kobato. "I…I'm…"

"You're not going to pull that trick on me again," said Kodaka.

"Fine!" Kobato slapped Kodaka in the face. Kodaka grunted, holding Kobato even closer.

Kobato grunted and slapped and kicked. Finally, she leveled a blind punch behind her, clipping Kodaka on the cheek.

Kodaka grabbed Kobato's arms, holding them behind her.

Kobato squealed and screamed, jutting her butt back so that it smacked Kodaka in the crotch.

Kodaka blushed as his sister's ass rubbed against him. "Kobato! Stop that!"

"Let go of my arms, An-chan!"

"Kobato! Seriously! Stop doing that! You don't have any idea what you're doing!"

"Aniki?"

Kodaka and Kobato looked up. The door was open. Yukimura had emerged. His shorts were completely zipped up, leaving no hint of what he had been doing earlier.

"Yukimura-sempai!" squealed Kobato. "What were you doing in An-chan's room?"

"Um…Aniki and I were playing hide-and-seek!" said Yukimura. "Except I had to count to a thousand! I just got out now…and, uh, it seems like Aniki's lost already!"

"Oh, yeah! I'm pretty bad at this game," said Kodaka, laughing loudly. He let go of Kobato. "Sorry for putting you through all this trouble, Kobato! If you barged into the room, you would have made Yukimura lost count!"

Kobato stared at Kodaka with a bewildered expression, as if she couldn't entirely believe him. However, with nothing else she could do, she slowly slipped downstairs.

"Aniki, why did you have Kobato's body against yours like that?"

"Don't ask questions, just get in the room."

Kodaka shut the door behind him again, taking the seat in front of the computer.

"…And now that you're done, you clear the history like this…Understand?"

"Yes! I'll make sure I watch masturbate to porn every day to become manly!" Yukimura performed a military-style salute as he grinned.

Kodaka blushed. Even with Yukimura's shorter hair, he still looked incredibly enticing with that innocent smile of his.

"Fine. Whatever. And you actually…did it?" said Kodaka.

"Uh-huh! The tissues are in your trash can!" Yukimura waved and took his leave. Kodaka heard the front door open and slam shut downstairs. He then peered over the trash can in the corner.

There were several bunched up tissues inside that were not there an hour ago. Kodaka clenched his nose. He could smell Yukimura's odor. More than anything else, he was disturbed by how sweet and flowery it was.

Kodaka grabbed the trash can and stalked out of the room. He was going to personally empty this into the trash bin. He couldn't bear having that scent in his room any longer.


	9. Practice Date

_I just watched episode 12 yesterday, more than two weeks after it actually came out. The anime's gotten past the part in the light novel where there's an English translation. I'd love for there to be a season 2, if it means we can see what else happens. One can always hope, right?_

Kodaka stuffed his hands into his pockets. He remembered the last time he had been to this amusement park, barely a few weeks ago. That time, the entire Neighbors' Club had gone, and he had distinctly remembered the shrieks and screaming from that one roller coaster ride. If it weren't for the practice date he was about to have with Sena, he would not have wanted to come back here ever again.

"Hey," said a voice behind him.

Sena was standing there, both arms crossed in front of her, holding a purse and wearing a sundress so white it had a pale bluish tinge. Her butterfly hairclip sparkled in the sunlight, as did her silver necklace.

"Oh, great, you're here," said Kodaka quickly. He glanced several inches to Sena's right, keeping his gaze away as he took her by the arm.

Sena frowned, wrinkled her nose and turned her head, allowing her blonde hair to whack Kodaka in the face.

"What should we ride first?" said Sena.

"How about the water ride? They say it's really good. You get in the boat, and then the boat goes through this rapid current." Kodaka put his hand on his forehead, shielding his eyes from the sun. It was getting warm, and the water ride was sounding pretty good.

"What, you want me to get wet so I can be eye candy for you?" said Sena. She stuck out her tongue. "Perv."

"What? No! Don't make up stuff like that!" Kodaka was even more embarrassed when he realized that he wanted to go on the water ride even more now. "You know what? Let's just go in and decide later."

The only ride Sena and Kodaka were really afraid of was _that_ roller coaster, the one they had all ridden, the one that made all of them curse and cry. Compared to that, everything else seemed rather tame.

Kodaka stopped at a ride. "How about it? Should we get on?"

"Um…y-yeah…"

Kodaka could feel shaking in Sena's hands. "Is something wrong?"

"Ha, ha, NO! Of course not, nothing's wrong!"

"Are you still afraid of that roller coaster?"

"N-No! It's not like I can still imagine the headaches I got from it or anything. It's not like…I-I can still remember almost peeing myself on the ride or anything…I mean, uh…"

"That was the worst ride in the park. This can't as bad, I promise," said Kodaka.

Sena clutched Kodaka's arm, still visibly afraid.

"Sena, we're in an amusement park. We have to ride the rides, or it won't be a date…_practice_ date."

Sena suddenly steeled herself. "Fine! I'll do it! But only for Yukimura!"

Kodaka and Sena got in line. It was slower than usual, and Kodaka was happy to see that there was only a fifteen minute estimated wait.

"Oh, by the way, you won't get turned on if I really do pee myself, will you?" said Sena.

"_What_?"

"Nothing!"

"How many?" said the attendant.

"Two."

Sena gripped Kodaka's hand as they got on the ride.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine! I promise."

"Says you," muttered Sena. The cars started, and Sena suddenly clammed up.

"Um, this car is going kind of high, isn't it?" said Kodaka.

"Maybe this ride won't be so bad after all," said Sena.

…

"Sena, you can stop clinging to me. We got off the ride ten minutes ago."

"I'm not scared from the ride," muttered Sena.

"Why are you still holding onto me, then?"

Sena dug her nose into Kodaka's shirt. "No reason."

"Hey, there's a shooting game over there."

"You think you can get a prize?"

Kodaka rolled up his sleeves. "I can try."

"Good luck with that," said Sena with a smirk.

"You don't think I can do it?" Kodaka strutted up to the attendant. "I'd like a shot, please."

"Go ahead, shoot. Show me how 'manly' you are," whispered Sena.

Kodaka lifted the gun and directed in at the target. He let off the shot. The cork hit the target—which remained completely still.

"Damn it, they rig these things," muttered Kodaka. In a louder voice, he said, "I want another shot!"

"I'll pay for you," said Sena.

"No, don't," said Kodaka. He raised the gun and shot off the cork again. Once again, the bottle remained still.

"Kodaka…seriously, don't get too caught up in this. It's just a game…"

"One more shot!" exclaimed Kodaka, handing the attendant another pile of coins. His next shot struck the bottle head-on again, only to careen off without budging the thing an inch.

"For crying out loud…I want a shot, please," said Sena. She handed a 10,000 yen bill and picked up the gun as the attendant stared at the note in awe.

The cork tipped the bottle over, sending it crashing to the ground.

"I helped move the bottle with my shots," said Kodaka.

"I shot down a different bottle," replied Sena.

Sena accepted a giant stuffed pink bear with purple ribbons as a prize, thrusting it at Kodaka.

"Here you go, honey," crooned Sena.

"I don't want this. You take it," said Kodaka.

"Are you kidding me? That thing's embarrassing!"

Kodaka sighed. "Want to eat lunch? There's a concession stand over there."

Sena nodded. She had only eaten amusement park food a precious few times before—she thought of the Neighbors' Club trip—and stared in shock as Kodaka ordered a giant portion of nachos and pizza.

"You actually like this kind of food?" said Sena.

"You don't?"

"Well…it's OK, I guess." Sena blushed. "It's…all right. Some of it's better than the others."

Kodaka nodded. "Want a slice of my pizza?"

Sena snatched it out of Kodaka's hands, then blushed and stuttered, "Oh, yeah…uh…um, thanks."

…

"Don't you remember how these 3-D glasses used to look when we were kids? You know, the cheap models with red and blue?"

"No."

Kodaka sighed. As a rich girl from a rich family, Sena had obviously never come into contact with anything cheesy like this before.

They had just come out of a 3-D short, in a dark theater located smack in the middle of the park. They had both agreed on it, since they didn't want to throw up everything they just ate by going on a ride right after lunch.

"It should be safe now. What do you want to ride?"

Sena looked up thoughtfully. "Hm…how about the water ride?"

Kodaka remembered Sena's words from that morning and turned his head casually to the side. "Sure, if you want."

Sena stepped toward the ride. "OK, well, let's get in line."

Kodaka nodded vigorously as he kept his head turned away from Sena. "Sure, sure."

"Why are you doing that?"

"What?"

"Turning your head away from me."

"I'b not avoidib you or eddy-thib."

"I never said you were. What's wrong with your voice?"

"Nothib. By the way, do you hab a tissue?" Kodaka turned back around and revealed a red stream flowing down his upper lip.

…

"You're sure it's stopped?" said Sena.

"Yeah," said Kodaka.

"Good. We're next up on the ride. Don't bleed in the water or anything, OK?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry." Kodaka climbed into the boat, extending the arm he didn't use to stop his bloody nose to Sena. Sena and Kodaka sat side-by-side, squeezed next to each other as they shared the boat with six other people. Kodaka grimaced as the wet seat began to soak his pants.

"This feels really weird," said Kodaka.

Sena shifted around. "You said it."

The water below them began to move, and the entire boat was propelled forward in a steady stream. Kodaka recognized this ride from numerous similar ones at other amusement parks. After a short float uphill, they would go down in a winding, rapid current.

Sena had a disinterested look on her face. She crossed her arms and looked over the side, gazing into the water.

"Get ready," said Kodaka.

"You know, I'm not that worried about getting wet anymore," said Sena.

"Well, you _should_ be worried," said Kodaka. "Oh, by the way, get ready."

"Ready? What do you me-e-e-E-E-E-E-E-E-E!"

The boat lurched around a corner and began to swivel violently on the river stream. A huge burst of water soaked Sena. The boat steadied for a few seconds before swinging to the other side, repeating this back-and-forth motion for the rest of the ride.

Sena and Kodaka limped off the ride with their clothes sticking to their chilled skin. The sun's warmth no longer seemed so unbearable.

"That…was…awesome…" squealed Sena.

Kodaka laughed. "It's the perfect summer ride, isn't it?"

He glanced to his side. Sena's dress was wet, and like she had predicted that morning, it was translucent. Several other people began whispering and pointing. Kodaka began to speed up, keeping himself a few steps ahead of Sena to shield her from the unwelcome stares.

"Kodaka, what are you doing? You're blocking my way! Get back beside me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Kodaka. "Hey, want to try that ride over there?"

"I can't see it, cause you're blocking the way! What are you doing?"

"This line seems kind of long," said Kodaka, ignoring Sena.

"Kodaka," said Sena. With a rough tug, she yanked him around.

"If you're going to guard my see-through dress, you might as well get a good look at it."

Kodaka's cheeks began to burn. He could detect the faint white of Sena's undergarments. Sena's damp hair and her silky, watery dress made her look angelic. She smiled bashfully and turned Kodaka around again.

"Satisfied now?" she said.

"OK, let's keep going," said Kodaka with a stutter.

…

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you mean, Sena."

"It's been on your mind ever since you got here, hasn't it?"

"You mean you haven't been thinking about it?"

"Of course I have!"

Sena and Kodaka looked up at the most infamous ride in the entire park. The last time they had gone on the ride, every single person except Kodaka had gone hysterical.

"You're thinking that it would be nice to get on that ride again, aren't you?" said Sena.

Kodaka shrugged. "It was pretty crazy. But I kind of liked it. Other than the cursing. Everyone was screaming and cursing."

Sena gulped. "I didn't know how notorious this ride was when I got the tickets."

"Yeah, well…"

"You'd think I learned my lesson the first time I got on this ride," said Sena. She bolted toward the line, and Kodaka headed after her.

"It's not too late to get off now," said Kodaka.

"Shut up," said Sena.

As popular as the ride was, plenty of people avoided it because of its notoriety. The wait was disturbingly short. Sena and Kodaka were locked to their seats by the harness. The two looked at each other, swallowing.

Sena began to whimper as she extended her hand. Understanding her meaning, Kodaka squeezed it tight.

"Here we go," said Sena.

"Uh-huh," said Kodaka.

…

Kodaka felt Sena's breath on his neck, her arms around his hips. He and Sena both fell to the ground, writhing and gasping.

"That was horrible…" said Sena. "But I can't stop thinking about it…"

"Can you let go of me?" said Kodaka.

"I don't want to," said Sena.

"What'd you say?"

"All right, I'll let go," said Sena in a louder voice.

"It's getting late. Do you feel like getting on another ride?"

"I don't think any ride will be as impressive after that," said Sena.

"Oh…so, this is goodbye, then?"

"Yeah, I guess. See you on Monday?"

"Um, yeah." Kodaka stuffed his hands in his pockets. They both found it awkward, since neither knew how to properly part. They were already at the exit to the park, and they both walked silently to the bus stop.

"So, this is goodbye, then," said Kodaka again. Sena nodded, twirling her hair with her finger.

The bus that led to right in front of Sena's house came from around the corner. Sena hopped up and bounced toward the curb.

Kodaka reclined back in his seat, staring down at his lap.

He looked up to see Sena bouncing back.

"Thanks, Kodaka." Sena kissed him on the cheek, hopped back into the crowd of people waiting to get on, and disappeared.

Kodaka sat there, transfixed. His face remained frozen even as he got on the bus and rode home.

That night, by the time he went to bed, Kodaka had still barely acknowledged Sena's kiss. As he stood at the mirror in the bathroom, Kodaka unconsciously chose not to wash his face. He simply stumbled to his bed. Once under the covers, Kodaka raised his hand to his face. He rubbed the spot Sena had kissed.

When he woke up the next day, Kodaka's hand was still touching his cheek.

_If you think you know where this story's going, I plan on adding a plot twist next week! Stay tuned!_


	10. Yozora's Sweet Side, Kobato's Dark Side

"What are we doing this weekend, Aniki?"

Kodaka stretched his arms behind his head. "I don't know. Have you ever played Modern Warfare 3 before? All guys play Modern Warfare."

"Mo-de-ru-n Wa-ru-fe-ru?"

"It's a video game for the Xbox 360. Do you have an Xbox?"

"Mm-hmm! I just bought a new otome game for it! Want to try it out with me?"

Kodaka blanched. "Um, no thank you. But…if you want, we can play Modern Warfare 3 tomorrow. I think it's kind of important for you to know what it is."

Yozora walked into the room. On cue, Kodaka shut his mouth.

"What are you doing without your maid uniform on, Yukimura?" said Yozora.

Yukimura's face paled. He got up, trembling, now harboring a positive hatred for the thing. "Um…I…I, uh…forgot."

"What was that?" snapped Yozora.

"…Forgot?" squeaked Yukimura.

"No, the first part."

"_Boku wa_…"

Yozora snatched Yukimura by the collar. "That's not the word you used."

Yukimura covered his mouth with his hands. Kodaka's training had worked: he accidentally used _ore_.

"Who taught you that word?" screamed Yozora, treating it as a curse word.

"N-Nobody," said Yukimura. "It's a common word. A-And, you want me to be manlier, don't you? Don't men use that word?"

"Of _course_," said Yozora with a cloyingly sweet tone, directing her glare at Kodaka. "Carry on…as long as it's _outside_ the club. For now, put your damn dress on! And don't forget the hairclip!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am," whimpered Yukimura.

Yozora took a seat on the couch Kodaka was sitting on, perching herself on the very left. Kodaka stared at the wall and began thinking about what knowledge Yozora might have had about the whole thing.

Kodaka turned around to see Yozora sitting right next to him. Shocked, he nearly leapt out of his seat.

"What are you doing there, Yozora?" said Kodaka.

"What are you talking about?" said Yozora.

"Y-You were over there at first," said Kodaka.

"What are you talking about?" said Yozora.

"You were sitting over there! You were sitting over there, and now you moved here!" cried Kodaka.

Yozora gazed disdainfully at Kodaka and shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Kodaka."

Yukimura stepped into the room, shuddering in his white stockings and black and white, frilled dress and cap. Even with his short hair, Yukimura looked like a girl with the dress on.

"Don't forget your hair clip," said Yozora.

Yukimura nodded meekly and shuffled to the other side of the room. He quickly poured water into a pot and put it on the portable heater. Only the sound of steaming water being poured into cups broke the unusual silence in the clubroom that day.

…

Kodaka was woken up early the next morning by knocking on his door.

"What the hell…it's Saturday," he groaned. Then, remembering his promise to Yukimura from the day before, Kodaka reluctantly got up and got dressed. He was still rubbing his eyes as he stumbled downstairs and opened the door.

"Taking him shopping didn't work…taking him to the park didn't work…taking him shopping didn't work…taking him to the park didn't work…"

Even in his sleepy daze, Kodaka could tell it wasn't Yukimura who was mumbling on the other side. Curious, he swung the door open.

"Who is it—" Kodaka was swept out of his house by a powerful tug on his arm. He tumbled to the ground, looked up, and saw Yozora standing over him, wearing a pink top and dark-blue mini jacket with a black skirt and striped stockings. Kodaka resisted the urge to look up Yozora's legs, and instead stared at the piece of ground between them.

"What brings you here, Yozora?" said Kodaka with as calm a face as he could manage.

"Get your shoes. We're going," said Yozora.

"What? What's going on?"

Yozora cried out in disgust, stomped inside Kodaka's house, and flung Kodaka's shoes straight at his face.

"I said, _get your shoes_! We're leaving!"

Kodaka hurriedly slipped them on. "Where are we going?"

He noticed the basket dangling from Yozora's left arm. He noticed Yozora's other arm grasping his, pulling him along. Helpless, Kodaka followed along as he was dragged to the bus stop, tugged onto the bus, tugged off the bus at a downtown stop, and forced onto a seat in a waiting area in the busiest bus station in the city.

"What bus are we waiting for here?" said Kodaka. All sorts of buses stopped here, including ones that went to the farthest edges of the prefecture.

"Don't ask questions," said Yozora gruffly. She stared at the schedule board, and suddenly yelping in shock, got up, pulling Kodaka along with her.

Kodaka passively played along. He found himself plopped in a window seat on a bus that seemed to be headed out of town. Kodaka said nothing as the bus pulled out of the station. The two of them were almost alone, with only two or three other passengers; there were far more people going into the city than out of it.

With each stop the bus made, Kodaka wanted to ask if they were getting off. However, as the bus left the suburbs completely and made a winding route in the fields, Kodaka gave up completely. He was utterly defeated, and he knew that wherever they were going, no one would be able to hear his screams.

Their bus passed some more fields before entering a thick forest at the base of some mountains. When it stopped at a remote little bus station with only one other bus in wait, Yozora finally stood up, pulling Kodaka along.

"Um, Yozora, what's in the basket?" said Kodaka. Yozora didn't answer. Kodaka wiped the sweat away from his forehead. He hadn't expected to get an answer out of that, anyway.

…

"Fu…fu…fu…It appears we have a guest."

Kobato held the door open for Yukimura, who was standing there in cargo shorts and a dark gray T-shirt.

"Hey, Kobato. Is Aniki home?"

"No…it seems my assistant is gone for the day. He didn't even tell me where he was going…accursed servant."

Yukimura looked inside the house, bewildered and not quite sure what to make of Kobato's statement. Kodaka _had_ promised to teach him about Black Ops that day, hadn't he?

"Ku, ku, ku…You can come in if you want…I'll have to have a chat with him about asking permission before leaving his mistress…"

Yukimura pulled off his sneakers and placed them in the cubby. He wandered around inside the house, reverently noting its respectable size.

Kobato smoothed out her gothic Lolita dress and took a seat. Yukimura sat down next to her, assuming a formal position before remembering his mentor's instructions to slouch.

"What brings you to my abode?" said Kobato.

"Kodaka invited me over. He said I could go ahead and play on the Xbox with him. He said I needed to know about shooter video games before I can become a man."

Kobato uttered out an indignant yelp and crossed her arms impatiently as she waited alongside Yukimura for Kodaka.

Almost ten minutes passed as the two sat still, waiting for nothing.

"When did Kodaka disappear?" said Yukimura.

"When I arose from my rest, my servant was already gone," grumbled Kobato.

"And when was that?" said Yukimura.

"Thirty minutes ago," said Kobato, breaking character.

"So, he could have left anytime before then?" said Yukimura as he wondered what could have made Kodaka disappear for over half an hour.

"The nerve of that idiot…leaving his mistress waiting for him for so long…I don't even know when he'll be back…or _if_ he'll be coming back."

Tears welled in Kobato's eyes. Suddenly, she latched onto Yukimura, crying for Kodaka.

"An-chan disappeared and I don't know how to find him!" cried Kobato. "He left his cell phone in his room! How am I going to eat? I'm gonna starve and die and it's all An-chan's fault!"

Yukimura patted Kobato on the back, startled as she began wiping her tears on his shirt. Yukimura blushed, cooing, "It's OK…It'll be all right."

"Do you know where An-chan might be, Yukimura-sempai?" whimpered Kobato.

Yukimura shook his head. "I thought he'd be at home. Do you think he went shopping?"

Kobato shook her head. "An-chan left his wallet."

She produced Kodaka's wallet, which was several bills lighter than it had been twenty minutes ago. Yukimura sighed and threw his head into his hands.

"Well, we just have to wait. Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

Kobato shook her head.

"Well, what would you like me to make you?" said Yukimura as he got up and walked into the kitchen.

"Pancakes! I always like eating pancakes on the weekend!"

Yukimura got the mix out from the pantry. "Very well, then!"

Kobato giggled and watched Yukimura slap everything together. "You're good at this!"

"I do a lot of cooking, too. In fact, I have to make tea and bake cookies every day at the cl—" Yukimura's face darkened. Now that he was becoming more and more like a normal guy, the other personality he assumed whenever he put on that maid outfit was becoming more and more of an embarrassment.

…

Kodaka glanced at his watch. He and Yozora had climbed this rocky trail for the past ten minutes. They seemed to be climbing up a mountain. In fact, judging by the signs and the gate they had passed, they were in a prefectural park. Kodaka nodded and observed the trees and mountains. The place where they were, wherever that was, was indeed very beautiful.

It was just that Yozora's silence was getting to him.

"You didn't say anything when you pulled me out of my house," said Kodaka. "You didn't say anything when you put me on a bus to the downtown bus station. You didn't say anything when we got off in the middle of nowhere. I'd really appreciate it if you started saying something right now."

Yozora stopped walking. Kodaka lifted his arm, afraid that Yozora was going to hit him. Now that he thought of it, he wondered if he was going to get punished for everything he was doing with Yukimura. He wondered if Yozora even knew about Yukimura yet.

Kodaka found himself morbidly curious as to what was in the picnic basket. Of all the possibilities, he had deduced that the most likely items were rope, a knife, or a whip. Fortunately, the basket was too short to fit a katana or kendo sword. Even so, there was a distant possibility that there was a gun.

Yozora turned around, wearing a slanted smile. Her eyes were opened wide, and her violet pupils seemed to highlight her crazed state.

"Uh…uh…it's…a…nice day outside, i-isn't it?" stuttered Yozora.

Kodaka unshielded his head as he realized Yozora wasn't insane, but rather was trying to smile and failing. Kodaka remembered doing the same thing several times at school with classmates, and he instantly began to sympathize with Yozora.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is!" said Kodaka.

Yozora eased up, uttering a breath of relief. She clenched the basket nervously, biting her lip. Then, without saying anything else, she turned back around and continued up the trail.

…

Kobato patted her stomach, smiling contentedly as she lay in her chair, having eaten all the pancakes Yukimura had served her.

"Thanks for the food, Yukimura-sempai!" cried Kobato.

Yukimura took up both their glasses and plates and took them into the sink. "I'm glad you liked it, Kobato!"

"What do you want to do now, Yukimura-sempai?"

Yukimura set down the plates. "Well, your brother did promise me he'd show me how to play Modern Warfare 3."

Kobato leapt up from her seat. "Don't worry, I can do that!"

She rushed into the living room and took out the Xbox 360, plugging it into the television. Kobato took out a pile of discs, taking one of them out and inserting it into the console. She turned on the television and scrolled through the title screens.

Yukimura sat down next to Kobato and took the other controller. "Are you allowed to play this game?"

"I'm thirteen, Yukimura-sempai!" cried Kobato. "I'm not a little kid!"

Yukimura stared up at the screen. "What's Xbox Live?"

"You get to make an account, and you use it to play with other people around the world. You don't have one?"

Yukimura shook his head.

Kobato nodded. "OK, well, you can play as a guest."

Yukimura watched as Kobato scrolled through several different options. "What are the controls?"

Kobato listed them all as she customized her weapons and joined a group. As a guest, Yukimura simply had to tag along and wait.

"Hey, what's that symbol next to your name?" said Yukimura.

"That? Oh, the cluster of stars. That's your rank on the game. There's three stars over there. That's a Level 48 Lieutenant General III."

"Wow…your brother must be really good at this game," said Yukimura.

"Hm? No, this is my account!" Kobato pointed to the screen name.

Yukimura read it closely: _leysisvifelicitysumeragi_.

"This…is your account?" cried Yukimura.

"Mm-hmm. It's not so hard to get here, really. I'm already Prestige 5."

"What does that mean?"

"I started over five times already."

Yukimura glanced over at Kobato, whose eyes were glinting with a passion that was starting to creep him out.

"Now, let's get started, shall we?" cackled Kobato.

…

Kodaka heaved and held onto a low-hanging branch. They had gone up this mountain for almost an hour now. He was tired, sweaty, and hungry. Kodaka looked up at Yozora, who was doubled over, clenching her legs with her arms. Yozora had worn the wrong shoes for this.

"How about you just give this up, whatever you're doing?" said Kodaka. "Come on, it'll be a much faster trip down. Let's just go home. Please?"

Yozora immediately straightened up. "No!"

She picked up the basket and kept going. Kodaka shook his head and followed her.

They rounded another bend. Kodaka looked up and realized that the bends were coming more frequently. They were reaching the top of this (rather low) mountain. Kodaka looked down and thought he could see a piece of trail that he and Yozora had already covered.

"Almost…there…" panted Yozora. She cleared the next several meters of rock quickly. Kodaka quickened his pace as well, curious to see what was making Yozora so excited.

After several minutes, Yozora was going so fast that Kodaka fell behind, losing sight of her, until…

"AH-H-H-H!"

Kodaka heard Yozora cry out. He broke out into a run, tripping and falling several times. Kodaka forced himself to get up until he bounded one final group of rocks.

Yozora was sitting in the middle of a round, grassy plain. Kodaka looked around. This little plain looked like a terraced, flat piece of land that had been naturally formed at the side of their mountain. Although it wasn't _that_ high, Kodaka could still see far. He even imagined being able to see the city from their spot.

"Yozora, what is this place?" Kodaka plopped down next to her, grinning at the beautiful sight.

"I used to come up here sometimes on the weekends. Not a lot of people are willing to come out all the way here, so I was always alone. But I guess my dress got ruined."

Kodaka laughed. "I guess it did. That's all right, though. This place is beautiful!"

The sky was bright blue as the sun reached its height. Yozora sighed and leaned her head against Kodaka's shoulders. Quickly drawing away, however, she reached instead for the basket.

Kodaka froze up. He was still suspicious about the basket and whatever was inside it.

Yozora opened the basket up and stuck her hand inside it, emerging with…a plate of onigiri.

"Here," said Yozora quietly, thrusting the plate toward Kodaka.

Kodaka could feel the anxiety leak out of him like a balloon. For some reason, of all the possible reasons that Yozora had brought the basket, the most obvious one, to hold a picnic, had never crossed his mind.

"Thanks," said Kodaka. He bit into the ball. To his surprise, there was no salty taste of salmon or _ume_ to greet him.

"Yozora? Is there any filling in here?"

Yozora blushed. "I forgot to put it in some of them, OK?"

"That's OK, I guess," said Kodaka, with a face that suggested otherwise. However, out of consideration for Yozora, Kodaka reluctantly finished the ball, anyway.

"S-So, how was it?"

"You forgot to put filling in. How do you think?" said Kodaka. He backtracked as he saw Yozora's face. "Uh, I mean…that's all right. I messed up when I first made onigiri, too. It takes practice sometimes."

Yozora beamed. Meanwhile, Kodaka reached into the basket, looking for something else to eat.

…

"Go to hell, you fucking whore cunt-ass piece of shit!" cried Kobato. She lay on her stomach, kicking her legs up in the air as she emptied an entire assault rifle clip into her opponent, refusing to stop until she had run out of bullets to pelt into her former assailant's dead body.

Yukimura cowered in the corner, watching Kobato's bloodthirsty eyes with fear.

"What the fuck are you waiting for, Yukimura?" bellowed Kobato. "Defuse the bomb!"

"Y-Yes…"

…

"Yozora, it's absolutely beautiful here! You can see everything from here. The view's just so great! Why aren't you up her looking at this?"

Kodaka turned around and turned his gaze toward Yozora, who was still sitting on the ground, munching on a sandwich.

Yozora turned away. "I-I don't feel like it."

Kodaka turned back around. "The sky's all blue! They look even bigger than normal now. It's like you can touch them! They look like cotton candy. Cotton candy floating over a giant chunk of green. It's really awesome…"

"Are you just goading me now?"

"Honestly, just get up and look at this," said Kodaka. "We came all the way here and climbed those rocks for almost an hour. It would suck if you didn't even look at this even once."

Yozora blushed furiously. "Well, what if I just don't want to?"

"This scene _sure_ looks great!" cried Kodaka again, turning his back on Yozora.

"Shut the hell up!" growled Yozora. Covering her mouth, she gazed sullenly at the ground.

"Come on, just look at it once, all right?" said Kodaka.

"…I can't…" mumbled Yozora.

"Huh?"

"I said I can't! I can't get up! My feet hurt too much from all the climbing!"

Yozora crossed her arms and splayed her legs out helplessly. Kodaka backed away from the edge of the little patch they were sitting on and sat down next to Yozora with a guilty look on his face.

"Is it a serious pain?" said Kodaka.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it, you know, really sharp? That means it might be serious."

"No. It's just really deep and sore."

"That's just muscle soreness, then. You should probably just sit it out."

"I _have_ been sitting it out, genius. We've been here for over an hour."

Kodaka sighed. "Well, it would be a shame if you went down without seeing this."

"Maybe you could carry me?" said Yozora.

"I could…" said Kodaka. "But then we have to get back down the cliff. It could be kind of dangerous with all the rocks and random roots sticking out of the ground."

Yozora plopped back down on the grass. "So, we wait here until tomorrow morning?"

Kodaka glanced down at Yozora's sprawled body. "Is it really that bad?"

Yozora rocked her head back and forth off the ground, which Kodaka presumed was a nod.

"Maybe you should try massaging it."

"No way, _baka_! It hurts like crap! Touching my feet would make it even worse!"

"Only temporarily. It starts getting better really quickly."

"Even so, it hurts a lot. I don't think I could force myself to go through that much pain, even if it is temporary."

Kodaka kneeled over Yozora, sighing as Yozora seemed to fall into a daze.

"What if…I massage them for you?" said Kodaka.

Yozora's head bounced up from the ground. She glared suspiciously at Kodaka. Then, with a voice dripping with revolt, she said, "Is this you trying to take advantage of an opportunity?"

Kodaka's face turned blue. "What are you thinking about?"

"I should ask you the same, you perverted idiot!"

Kodaka shifted his body so that he was sitting with his back turned to Yozora. "Fine. Have it your way. I can go without food for the night."

Kodaka could hear a high whimper. He grinned smugly to himself, otherwise refusing to move an inch.

"All right!" Yozora uttered out a cry of frustration. "Promise me it won't hurt too much, though…and that it really will make the soreness go away faster."

"Don't worry," said Kodaka.

Yozora stretched out her legs. Kodaka scrunched over and placed them on his lap. Immediately, he began to feel a rush of blood through his head. He began to doubt doing this, but realizing that Yozora had finally trusted him, found that he had no other choice.

Kodaka untied Yozora's shoes and delicately took them off, trying not to hurt Yozora's feet too much. Then, for the next few minutes, he simply stared at Yozora's striped socks. The sweat from walking all morning had soaked through her socks, making them warm and damp. Kodaka could feel Yozora's sweat seep into his pants.

Finally, nervously, Kodaka placed his fingers on the ball of Yozora's left foot. He pressed gently, eliciting a soft whimper.

"That hurts!" said Yozora.

"Tell me when I get to a _really_ sensitive spot," said Kodaka.

Yozora nodded, tears flowing into her eyes. Kodaka did the best he could not to hurt Yozora any more than he had to as his fingers flowed swiftly down the arch of Yozora's foot.

Yozora yelped out. "Ooh, that really hurts!"

"This spot?"

"Mm-hmm!" Yozora's violet eyes brimmed with tears, her cheeks flushed from pain, and her lips were slightly open as an anguished sigh escaped between them. Kodaka turned hurried down to Yozora's feet again.

"OK, now, this will hurt at first. I want you to move your feet around while I press here."

Yozora nodded, and Kodaka pressed the sensitive spot with his thumb. Wailing out, Yozora wiggled her left foot, moaning and squeaking. However, Yozora could feel the pain go away, replaced by a deep, satisfying sensation.

"Does it feel better now?" said Kodaka.

"Mm-hmm." Yozora nodded. "Where'd you learn this?"

"You have to learn how to do all sorts of simple remedies with Kobato around," replied Kodaka. "Shall we move on?"

Yozora nodded and wiggled her toes. Kodaka blushed again and sank his head back down into his work. Yozora began to moan, oohing and aahing as her pain began to sink away, replaced by a drawn-out, deep feeling of relief in her muscles.

"Do my right foot next," moaned Yozora, knocking it against Kodaka's lap.

"Yeah, yeah."

He held Yozora's foot close to his face, moving his hands down the length of Yozora's arch. As he traveled down Yozora's feet, Kodaka could sense the thin, elusive scent of her sweat. To his horror, he was utterly enthralled by the smell.

"You should keep your feet elevated so we can reduce the swelling," said Kodaka.

"OK," said Yozora. She lifted her legs and perched her feet on Kodaka's shoulders, on either side of his face.

The scent tempted Kodaka, tickling and teasing his nose until he found himself reaching for Yozora's legs several times. Yozora looked like she was having fun with this, purposely allowing her feet to hover within inches of Kodaka's nose. Kodaka was amazed as he saw Yozora have so much fun teasing him. She looked rather cute like this.

"That should be good," said Kodaka. He carried both of Yozora's legs off his shoulders and placed them off the ground. "Let's just wait for awhile and see if it's all right for you to walk."

The two said precious little as they waited. Neither wanted to discuss their personal lives, and at any rate, they shared their social lives to the point where there was nothing new to talk about anymore.

"Kodaka, my feet still hurt," moaned Yozora. "Do it again."

Kodaka sighed and placed Yozora's feet on his lap. He ran his hands down the now cool socks.

"Can you take them off this time?" said Yozora. "I can't feel it as well when my socks are on."

Kodaka blushed. His hands shivered as he pulled Yozora's stockings off. Yozora's pale feet wiggled around on Kodaka's lap now. He lifted Yozora's left foot with much more care now, delicately handling it.

"What? You like it?" said Yozora. The suspicious edge had worn away, and she was now asking out of playful curiosity. She moved her foot around, waving her toes in Kodaka's face.

"I was just thinking," said Kodaka as he squeezed the joints in each toe. "You don't use nail polish, do you?"

"No," said Yozora. "I don't have use for that kind of stuff."

"Kind of a shame," said Kodaka. "You'd look great with some on. Maybe black."

Yozora ignored Kodaka. She sat on the ground with an imperious sneer as Kodaka handled her feet. Her expression softened, however, and she began to blush again as Kodaka loosened up her muscles once again.

"K-Kiss it?"

"Hmm?" said Kodaka, oblivious to Yozora's words.

"Will you kiss it?" said Yozora in a soft voice.

Kodaka stopped massaging and stared at Yozora in disbelief. Unsure of whether she was serious or not, he simply sat there, hoping that she'd offer some sort of hint. When Yozora simply sat there as well, gazing back up at him, Kodaka simply placed his lips lightly on her heel, pulling away as quickly as he had moved in.

Yozora's face burned up as she realized what she had just asked him. She immediately sat back up on the grass, put her socks and shoes back on, and stood up.

"Oh, wait, I feel a lot better! Hey, let's go now, all right?"

Yozora hopped off the little meadow and returned to the mess of rocks and trees they had cleared getting up. Kodaka chased after her.

The trip took far shorter going down, and Kodaka realized that they had probably taken thirty minutes at most for a trip that had taken more than an hour going up. They were already at the bus station, with twelve minutes to spare before the next bus back into town.

"Are your feet feeling any better?" said Kodaka.

Yozora nodded, swinging her legs on the bench. Her face was perfectly expressionless, as if she were both flustered and happy, and that the two canceled out.

…

"I'm back!" said Kodaka.

Yukimura crawled up to the front door, grasping Kodaka by the leg. "Thank…God…Where were you?"

Kodaka shook his leg out of Yukimura's hands. "I kind of got kidnapped by Yozora. What happened to you?"

"I came over this morning to play Modern Warfare 3…like you promised."

"Yeah, sorry. I got dragged out of the city by Yozora, like I said. Have you been here the whole day?"

Yukimura nodded, still lying on the floor, and looked very sorry for having done so.

"What did you do?" said Kodaka. "Is Kobato fine?"

Yukimura groaned and laid his head against the ground again. He motioned toward the living room, where Kobato was still sitting with the controller in her hands.

"No, don't use that gun, faggot! What the hell is wrong with you? No, _you_ shut the fuck up!"

Kodaka stared back at Yukimura.

"You mentioned that you came over to play Black Ops, and Kobato started playing with you, didn't she?"

Yukimura nodded glumly.

"Yeah, ever since she got obsessed with that anime, she hasn't been playing this stuff as much. But she's still really good at it, apparently."

Yukimura nodded glumly.

"Well, not all guys like playing it. A lot do, and most of them aren't as obsessed as Kobato."

Yukimura nodded again, with the same distant look in his eyes.

"Well, sorry about missing today. We can play Skyrim next time."

"Is Kobato good at that, too?" groaned Yukimura.

"She hasn't gotten as far as she has with MW3."

Yukimura dropped his head against the floor one final time with an expression of relief.

"Die, you stupid fuck! GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!"


	11. Post Date

Yozora and Kodaka were side by side on the couch. The entire club was doing one of Yozora's harebrained schemes, but Kodaka wasn't paying any attention. Instead, he was entirely focused on the girl sitting next to him, who was likely pressing her body against him like that on purpose.

After another humiliating afternoon trying to "bond" without making it too noticeable, Yozora suddenly latched onto Kodaka, walking out the door with him.

Although most of the club didn't notice, Sena watched the two, furrowing her brow.

"Sena-anego, what are you looking at?" said Yukimura.

"Nothing. Let's go."

Kodaka walked out of the school gates, pretending as if Yozora were not there, if only not to arouse suspicion. He knew that the last thing he wanted was the pervert Rika and the naïve Kobato and Maria to start making comments.

"So, Yozora…" said Kodaka. He had the feeling that Yozora wanted him to say something, but he had no idea what.

"Yes, Kodaka?" Yozora's voice was tinged with the lightest trace of anticipation.

"What do you want to do today?" said Kodaka. "Are we still trying to spend our club budget?"

"Oh," said Yozora flatly. "Yeah. Yeah, we are."

Kodaka clenched his eyes shut. He had obviously said the wrong thing.

Was it their expedition yesterday? Did she want him to mention that? But what did she want him to say, if she wanted him to talk about that?

"So…are your feet all better?" said Kodaka.

"Uh…uh-huh!" Yozora's voice was suddenly rather high-pitched. Then, returning to as close to normal as she could get, she added, "They're still a little sore, but they've gotten a lot better."

Kodaka wasn't sure whether Yozora's reaction was good or not. Deciding not to test the matter any further, he walked into the nearest convenience store. He knew perfectly well that they weren't going to buy anything for the club, and that this was an excuse for the two of them to be together.

Kodaka browsed the produce racks, looking at the packaged ramen. Meanwhile, Yozora was rifling through the beauty section in the back. She hurriedly got a bottle of metallic black nail polish, checked it out, and had it stowed away in her jacket pocket just as Kodaka turned around and said, "Did you buy something? Are you ready to go?"

Yozora rushed toward the door without saying anything. Kodaka shook his head without knowing what exactly to make of it all.

After an hour or so of milling through the shops, as they always did, Kodaka decided to bring up their trip up the mountains again.

"Hey, Yozora, that was a really crazy trip you took me on the other day," said Kodaka with a laugh that he hoped would defuse any tension.

"Mm-hmm," said Yozora. Kodaka wondered if he could detect Yozora's emotions through that grunt. He couldn't.

"Yeah, pretty crazy," said Kodaka.

"Anything else?" said Yozora. "What'd you think of it?"

"It was just so…crazy. I mean, it was kind of bizarre, even for you."

Kodaka went blithely on, not noticing the warning signs.

"And then it got really bad when you brought those bum onigiri," continued Kodaka.

Yozora crammed her hands into her pockets, walking faster and faster.

"You know, you shouldn't plan trips like that without planning ahead," said Kodaka. "That turned out to be a lot of trouble."

Yozora stopped in her tracks, swerved around, and opened her mouth to yell at Kodaka.

"But I had a lot of fun. Everything went wrong, but it was one of the best weekends I've ever had!"

Kodaka beamed, modestly scratching the back of his head. Yozora turned back around, her cheeks red.

"Oh," she said. "Well, thank you."

…

A month had passed since Yozora's "date" with Kodaka. Things had returned to normal. Kodaka had slowly begun to let Yukimura tag along with him almost constantly outside the school. Classmates who saw the two were utterly shocked as they wondered whether it was really Yukimura, the one everyone took for a girl, who was with Kodaka wherever he went.

"Yukimura, you don't have to wear the maid uniform anymore," said Yozora.

The announcement came as a shock, and everyone in the club reacted differently to it. Yozora herself seemed almost pained saying it. Rika clasped her mouth, as if she had lost something very dear to her, and Kodaka and Sena exchanged secret, congratulatory glances.

"Why don't I have to wear it anymore, Yozora-anego?" said Yukimura.

"I don't know…it just doesn't fit you anymore…I mean, you don't…" Yozora stopped. In a lower voice, she muttered to herself, "You don't look girly enough anymore."

…

"Good job, Yukimura!"

"Let's celebrate this day, when Yukimura Kusunoki stopped wearing maid uniforms!" Sena and Kodaka raised their iced coffees in a mock toast, clanking them against Yukimura's cup.

"So, what do we do now, Aniki? Sena-anego?" said Yukimura.

"Uh…" Kodaka and Sena glanced at each other. Both still remembered Kodaka's suggestion, that Sena go on a date with Yukimura.

"We'll figure that out later," said Kodaka.

…

"Ready, Aniki?"

"Yeah," said Kodaka. He slung his gym bag over his shoulder, and he and Yukimura took the bus ride to the gym, as they had started doing more and more frequently.

Honestly, Yukimura was now indistinguishable from any other boy. He was obviously a little more polite and delicate than most, but nothing about him would have revealed that he had worn maid uniforms every day for the past half-year.

Kodaka remembered what he had told Sena, that at the end of the process, he would get Yukimura to ask her out, as the "initiation" to his status as a real man. It sounded good at the time, but Kodaka was nervous as to how well it would work.

"We're here, Aniki."

"Oh, yeah."

Kodaka still turned around, out of habit, whenever Yukimura changed his clothes. He had to stop doing that, Kodaka reminded himself.

"OK, let's do some warm-up crunches first," said Kodaka.

Kodaka noticed a few girls looking in his direction. Flustered, he ignored them and did his workout like usual. When he was on the bench presses, Kodaka noticed several more girls staring in their directions. In a vain effort to look tougher, Kodaka got up and said, "Put another ten pounds on the press, Yukimura."

"Are you sure, Aniki?"

"Just do it!"

Yukimura piled the weights on, causing the bar to wobble and nearly fall on Kodaka. Yukimura shot an embarrassed smile at their female observers, waving. Kodaka, who had his eyes shut as he struggled with the bench press, didn't notice anything.

"I'm going to work on the weights some more, Aniki."

"Sure, go ahead, Yukimura. I'll use one of the other machines instead."

After Yukimura went, Kodaka noticed that the girls were gone. Once he was outside the locker room, his normal clothes back on, he saw Yukimura chatting with two of the girls he had spotted in the workout room.

"Oh, Ani—Kodaka!" Yukimura waved. Then, to the girls, he said, with a smile, "See you guys later."

Kodaka was still wearing a weird smile as the two of them walked out of the gym.

"What's going on, Aniki? What are you thinking about?"

Kodaka turned to Yukimura. "Yukimura, I've got your final test of manhood ready…"

…

"E-h-h-h-h? You want me to ask Sena-anego out on a date?" cried Yukimura.

"Yeah, it's your final test." Kodaka looked around hesitantly. "Unless you're not interested in girls. I'm telling you, it's all right if you're not."

Yukimura was angrily. "Fine! I'll do it!"

Kodaka sighed. "That's not what I meant."

"I would have done it anyway, even if you didn't keep thinking that about me," said Yukimura in an annoyed voice.

Kodaka shrugged. He deserved this chewing out. After all, he didn't know himself why he assumed Yukimura was…

…

Sena sat, crossed-legged, reading an electronics and game magazine about her precious galge and eroge. She looked up to see Yukimura with his arms held behind his back, standing in a formal position.

"Yukimura?" said Sena. She was still a little shocked that Yukimura was standing in front of her without the maid uniform on. Even more, she was rather taken aback by how much more like a normal boy Yukimura seemed, and by how much more self-confident he looked.

"Sena-anego…" said Yukimura. "I would like the pleasure of taking you out on a date."

"Oh," said Sena with disinterest. "Kodaka finally put you up to it, didn't he?"

"NO!" said Yukimura. "I don't need Aniki to tell me to ask you out! I don't need Aniki to tell me I have feelings for the most beautiful girl in the school, and I certainly don't need Aniki to tell me to act on them!"

Sena was blushing, her magazine trembling in her hands. "Oh…Yukimura…I didn't know you…eh, heh, heh…"

Covering her face, she continued, in a small voice, "Well, if that's the case, then…of course I'll…"

"OK…" Yukimura blushed and stumbled. "So, Saturday morning at ten?"

"Of course. You're coming over to my place, then?"

"Yeah," said Yukimura. "OK, then."

"Yeah."

With nothing else to say, Yukimura shuffled out of the room. Sena waited until he went before rolling around on the couching, holding the magazine to her nose in embarrassment.

"Everything went fine?" said Kodaka.

"Yeah," said Yukimura. "You were right. Buttering her up on her looks worked perfectly."

"Good luck on the date, OK? And don't do anything you feel uncomfortable doing."

"Yes, Aniki."


	12. A Turning Point

**I'm a little later than usual with this update, since I was out of town for most of this weekend, and in a hotel where you have to pay for the Wi-fi. No worries now. As you can see, we're nearing a big point in the story. But don't worry, just because Yukimura's changed doesn't mean that this story is even close to ending. Far from it.**

**There will be a lot of changes. Let me know what you think of them! -teisan**

Yukimura arrived in front of Sena's house, a place he had heard about but never seen with his eyes before. Feeling intimidated, he pressed the buzzer at the giant gates.

"Oh, yes, it's you, isn't it?" said the voice from the other side of the speaker once Yukimura gave his name. "Ojou-sama will be out shortly."

Yukimura was slightly disappointed that he wouldn't get to see the inside of Sena's house for now. As he looked up the hill upon which the mansion was built, he could see Sena come down its gentle slope, dressed in a light-green peasant top and tight capris. She had a large, expensive looking purse dangling from her shoulder, and she was wearing a dark blue beret and matching ballet flats.

Yukimura was wearing a rather simple blue button-down shirt and jeans, both of which Sena had bought him months before. To top it off, Yukimura had brought along the trilby hat, too.

"The rich girl and the hipster?" whispered Sena to herself. However, as Yukimura had his arm out, with a smile on his face, Sena was enchanted, and she gladly took it without any snide commenting.

The city they lived in was not that large, and as much as they both tried, almost every place they went had been some place the two of them had been before.

"Should we take a look inside?" said Yukimura, pointing at a store.

"We were there just last week, remember?" said Sena.

"Oh…how about th—?" Then, Yukimura remembered that he had already gone there a few days ago. "Wait…how about that store? We haven't been there before."

"I went there last weekend," said Sena.

The distress was already plain on Yukimura's face as they continued walking.

"It's already been two hours!" said Yukimura with relief. "It's already noon!"

Sena perked up. She was interested in where Yukimura would take her for lunch.

Yukimura stared across the crosswalk. On one side, there was a posh looking French restaurant that had a pastel-colored theme. On the other side was Yukimura's favorite ramen shop.

The crosswalk lit up as everyone started to cross the street. Yukimura was about to turn toward the restaurant when Sena automatically stopped in front of the ramen shop.

"Oh, so this is where we're eating?" Sena didn't sound disgusted, just…intrigued.

"Sure, sure!" said Yukimura hurriedly. He realized Sena probably ate Western food all the time.

"I've never been before," said Sena.

"WHAT? You've never eaten at a ramen shop before?"

"No, I've never been _here_ before," said Sena.

"I didn't think so. That's why I decided to take you here. It's really good." Yukimura decided not to reveal that he had just ad libbed their lunch plans.

…

Lunch took a little more than half an hour. After that, Yukimura was on his own again.

"Where do you plan on taking us now?" said Sena. She gazed directly at Yukimura, as if the question were a test.

"I-I was thinking we could go to the park," said Yukimura.

"I've got an idea," cut in Sena. Yukimura had fallen for her trap. "Why don't we go to the botanical garden instead? They have some beautiful plants this time of year!"

Having hijacked the date and made it her own, Sena grabbed Yukimura's hand before he could even protest.

Once the two of them were on the bus, Yukimura finally had time to ponder over the fact that the girl he called his "Anego" was sitting beside him in a cute outfit, on a date with him. Sure, they had been out all morning now, but then it had felt like any other day together. Now that they were going somewhere Yukimura had never been before, it _really_ felt like a date. Yukimura blushed. He thought he could feel his heart beat a little faster.

Sena grinned. She was in control now, and she would call the shots. She was enjoying this supremely, just as she had when she had taken control during her…date…with…Kodaka.

Sena clapped her hands over her mouth. She couldn't be feeling the same pleasure from Yukimura that she had felt from Kodaka, could she? Because eventually, that pleasure had turned into lo—

"Sena-anego, the botanical garden is the next stop," said Yukimura, looking down at the bus schedule.

"Ah—Huh? Yeah, it is. And you'll be glad I took you there. It's simply _wonderful_…"

Sena pulled Yukimura off the bus. The botanical garden was built of stone, with large windows and a top made entirely of glass. It had been built long ago, and had a lofty, old feel to it. Yukimura could have sworn that this building was in England or somewhere else in Europe, had he not known better.

"How much does it cost to go inside?" said Yukimura.

"It's free," said Sena.

"There's not a lot of people here," said Yukimura.

"It's closed off for a private gathering."

"Are _we_ that pri—"

Sena pushed Yukimura through the front door. They passed through a small foyer, with a row of large doors on the other side. Yukimura pulled the next door open for Sena, and they walked into a lush forest filled with exotic plants with fresh colors and charming smells.

"Much better than the park," said Sena with a smirk.

Yukimura's head was raised up high as he stared up toward the rooftops, where some of the trees extended. Somehow, coconut trees mixed with Brazilian nut trees, which mixed with North American and European plants and herbs, which mixed with local flowers from Japan.

"It's pretty hot in here, isn't it?" said Yukimura.

Sena grabbed Yukimura by the collar and undid two of his buttons. "There."

Yukimura covered his chest by instinct. Seeing the bewildered look on Sena's face, he lowered his arms. "Uh, I mean yeah. Thanks."

"You know, it's polite to take your date by the arm." Sena grabbed Yukimura by the arm, leading the way as Yukimura went helplessly along.

After a few minutes, Sena added, "Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

Yukimura remembered that he was supposed to strike a conversation. "Um, the flowers are nice."

"Thanks," said Sena. "Most of them were actually brought here recently, after Father became one of the benefactors."

"Did he actually take them here?" said Yukimura.

"No, but he did come along on a few of the trips," said Sena.

"It really is a shame that there aren't any other people here," said Yukimura.

"You want there to be more people here?"

"You don't?"

"It's a lot quieter. We have a lot more privacy."

Sena pulled even harder, until Yukimura was pressed right next to her.

"Don't be so awkward when a girl wants to get close to you," whispered Sena. "You're just like Kodaka!"

"What does Aniki have to do with this?" said Yukimura.

"Nothing," replied Sena. "I'm surprised you haven't tried to cop a feel already."

"I could do it if you want," retorted Yukimura.

Sena gasped. "You're not as innocent as I though, huh?"

Sena pushed Yukimura away. The two walked on as before, with locked arms.

"It really is beautiful in here," said Yukimura.

"It's romantic," said Sena.

Yukimura didn't know what to say to that, so he kept on walking. His arm, the one Sena was holding, went slightly limp.

"There aren't any other people here," said Sena. She leaned on Yukimura's shoulder.

Yukimura still didn't get the hint. Impatient now, Sena, in a desperate move, pushed Yukimura to the side, pinning him against the tree with her breasts.

"We're all alone!" said Sena, now very loudly. "We can do whatever we want!"

Yukimura shuddered, on the verge of panicking.

"Sena-anego, are you desperate?" said Yukimura innocently.

Sena was taken aback by the question. She angrily let go, stomping away in a huff. Yukimura chased after her. "Sena-anego! Sena-anego!"

Sena stopped and turned back. "What?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that!"

Sena threw her head back. "So what did you mean to say?"

"I just wanted to say…that that was a little unusual for you. That's all."

Sena turned her back to Yukimura. "That's all you wanted to say, was it?"

"Yes, Anego! Please don't be mad at me!"

"Anego, anego, anego! You've been using that all day! Have you ever thought that it might be a little inappropriate to use that title on your date?"

Sena stormed off again. More than anything else, she was flustered and embarrassed that Yukimura still saw her as his older sister, even when she was dressed for a date.

"Sena-aneg—Sena! Sena!" Yukimura caught Sena by the arm. Turning her toward him, he cried, "Then, what do you want me to do? Tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it!"

"It's not that," said Sena. "Do you even see me as a date? I know Kodaka put you up to ask me out. We talked about it before. We even went on a practice date together!"

Yukimura's hand trembled. There was something welling up inside him. Anger.

"Well, I'm sorry if I'm not Aniki. You're not on a date with him; you're on a date with me now!" said Yukimura.

"That's what I'm wondering! _Are_ we? Or are we just fulfilling your stupid 'test of manhood'?"

Yukimura felt something else new from within him—shame, disgust with himself, and the overwhelming desire to preserve his honor.

"I'm not just a pawn for you to feel good about yourself!" continued Sena. "I'm not Kodaka's errand-girl, doing everything for him while he works on _you_, his little pet proj—"

Yukimura clutched Sena's waist, pinned _her_ against a tree trunk, and kissed her.

"Yuki—"

"Shut up," gasped Yukimura. He tightened his grip around Sena and kissed her again.

Sena was silent, unbelieving. Yukimura finally pulled away, heaving as he finished his first kiss.

Sena leaned against Yukimura, limping away from the palm tree. "Fine. What else do you want to do today?"

Yukimura looked on the verge of collapsing. "I don't know…"

"I get a turn, too."

"What do you mean by—"

Yukimura didn't finish his sentence. Sena attacked him, sending him tumbling to the ground. She lay on top of him and kissed him too, grabbing his hands and placing them just below her hips. Without saying a word, Sena got back up, fixed her hair, and walked away.

The rest of their date wasn't nearly as eventful. They separated at Sena's house, still acting normally, as if nothing had happened. For once, Yukimura decided not to say anything to Kodaka.


	13. As Yukimura Grows Up

Kodaka and Sena sat alone in the club room. Kodaka glanced down at his magazine, and Sena had her computer in her lap. Neither said anything to the other, but Sena could feel the silence choke her.

"Our date was nice," said Sena.

"Hm?" said Kodaka. He looked up from his magazine, looking rather bored.

"Yukimura and me," said Sena. "He has a surprising amount of passion."

"That's great," said Kodaka.

Sena was angry now. She had been mad when Yukimura didn't seem interested in her. But up to now, she at least saw Kodaka as a reliable source; whenever she wanted to feel like she dominated and controlled a boy, she always turned to him. Now, it seemed like he just didn't care.

"I might get him to go on a second date with me," said Sena. "He's remarkably dreamy."

"OK, fine," said Kodaka. He had lost his place in the magazine, and he let out a noticeable sigh as he tried to find it again.

Sena got up and sat down next to Kodaka in anger. "He's nice, he's sensitive, he listens…"

"Great," said Kodaka again.

"Considering what we've been through together, I was hoping you'd care a little more," said Sena bluntly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Kodaka.

"Well, we went through a lot," said Sena. "You don't feel anything at all?"

"Well, I'm happy for Yukimura. He seems like he's doing great ever since we helped him out."

"I don't mean that! Don't you feel anything at the fact that he's won me away?"

"What?" Kodaka was puzzled, but only in an uninterested, trivial way, rather than with the show of fury Sena had hoped for.

"What about everything we've been through?" moaned Sena.

Kodaka was completely baffled by this. He had no idea what Sena meant by "everything we've been through," even though she had said it three times. He shrugged.

"Does this mean those two dates we had didn't mean anything?" cried Sena in desperation.

"Wait, were they _supposed_ to?" asked Kodaka.

Sena hopped out of her seat in anger, clenched her fists, and stormed out of the room.

Kodaka stayed in his seat. He already knew from experience with Kobato that when a girl walked out like that, he would not be able to fix the problem for at least several hours.

…

Sena cradled her pillow against her chest, sobbing in her sheets. She knew that Kodaka was a little dense, but she had never expected him to be so callous and indifferent.

Kodaka was different from most of the guys she knew. For one, he actually had a brain. He didn't bow down mindlessly to her. He even yelled at her when she messed up.

Sena clung to her sheets. She knew she was annoying. She knew Kodaka saw her (and everyone else in the club) as deranged weirdoes. She resented the fact that Kodaka constantly saw her as nothing but a rich snob. Instead of hating him for that, though, this had only made her strive even harder to win Kodaka's favor. She did everything in the hope that Kodaka would accept her, and for a long time, she wasn't sure what she would do after that happened.

Sena moved her fingers toward her legs. She had fantasized about getting into all sorts of strange shit with Kodaka, and it was become more and more apparent that she was growing an obsession toward him.

"Kodaka… Kodaka… Kodaka…" moaned Sena. She uttered the name in rhythm with her fingers, moving her body against her hand.

Sena stopped. This wouldn't solve anything. Instead, she flopped back down on her bed, tired and broken.

…

Kodaka tossed his bag to the corner of the couch, flopped down in his seat, and relaxed. He didn't want to read a magazine or work on his homework or anything else right then. He just sat there, with his arms spread out against the top.

Sena strutted in. Without saying anything, she walked up to the couch Kodaka was sitting in, sat on the armrest next to him, and began nuzzling his neck.

Kodaka edged away in shock. Sena squeezed in next to him and began to nibble on his ear, her arm curling around his stomach.

"Sena?" said Kodaka with false calm.

"Hm?" said Sena.

"What are you doing?"

Sena blushed. She didn't really know what to say to that. All she knew was that all of her male admirers would constantly swarm around her and admire and worship her body. Sena naturally assumed she was kind of sort of supposed to do something similar.

"Uh…"

Kodaka tried to get up. Sena's grip miraculously became a lot stronger. She pulled him down and climbed on his lap, hoping that she'd get her message across without having to outright _say_ it, which would have been just embarrassing.

"Sena, will you please let go?"

"No."

"…" Kodaka was at a loss as to what to do now. However, he was starting to realize what Sena was trying to say to him. Sena moved closer, and Kodaka, instead of ducking away, passively allowed her lips to touch his.

Sena coursed her hands against Kodaka's chest. His body felt warm pressed against hers. From her eroge, Sena tried to guess what Kodaka wanted next, and so the silent, awkward ritual continued.

"What are you doing?"

Sena looked up, her hands in the middle of untying the ribbon on her blouse. Again, she didn't really want to say it out loud.

Kodaka grabbed Sena's hands and pushed them away from the top of her blouse. "Stop that. This isn't an eroge."

Sena blushed. Did this mean Kodaka was denying her advances or…?

Kodaka sighed. "I don't know what's gotten into you right now, but I'm guessing it had to do with what I said yesterday?"

Sena nodded excitedly, then remembering that there wasn't anything keeping her from talking, said, "Uh-huh."

Sena slipped her legs around Kodaka's groin and pushed Kodaka to the sofa with her front. Kodaka, now fully aware of what was going on, went along, moving his head forward until he was once again only inches away from Sena's lips.

"What the hell are you doing there at the door?" said a gruff voice from outside. The two of them could hear Yukimura's squeal and Rika's high pitched giggle as they scampered into the club door, followed by Yozora, who looked even angrier than usual. Sena jumped off Kodaka's lap, sitting next to him with a false look of innocence. "And where are the two lolis?"

Yozora glared at the two. Kodaka had no idea if she had seen anything or not. On the other hand, based on Yukimura's and Rika's faces, it was obvious that not only had they seen everything, but that they had been spying on them for several seconds or even minutes already.

"I think Maria's taking a nap. Ever since we hijacked this room, she's been looking for other places to sleep. And Kobato lost her red contact during gym class today. She's going home to get another one," said Kodaka.

"Fine," grunted Yozora.

…

Yukimura was a guy. He was now a perfectly normal guy wearing a boy's uniform. Kodaka suddenly felt proud of himself as he contemplated what, exactly, he had done. In fact, he was already walking up to Yukimura to give his congratulations when he was tugged away by a violent jerk.

"Yozora?" said Kodaka. He didn't follow Yozora so much as allow his shoes to get dragged along the concrete. "Are we trying to spend our club money again?"

Yozora was silent. Then, Kodaka realized that he was not being dragged to the stores in the city center. They weren't even headed out of the school. Instead, Yozora took another route into one of the school's courtyards that was secluded and shaded by the buildings.

Kodaka was silent. He had a feeling, an instinct that told him not to be too scared or apprehensive. Yozora seemed to be slightly scared herself; her grip was trembling.

Yozora did not allow herself to let slip anything to Kodaka. She didn't know what had happened, and she didn't want to put Kodaka on the defensive by asking. All she knew was that Yukimura and Rika had been spying on something outside the club door, and that Kodaka and Sena had been the only two inside. That gave her an even greater sense of urgency.

"Kodaka," said Yozora. "Do you have any idea why I dragged you out in the middle of nowhere and took you on an hour-long hike up the mountains that one Saturday?"

"No," said Kodaka. "Frankly, I don't."

Yozora stopped. They were in the middle of a garden now. Kodaka looked around him and saw that all around him were rosebushes, with flowers of every color.

Kodaka saw Yozora's face. He knew everything now. Kodaka gently took Yozora by the waist. He tilted his head down and moved it toward her mouth. Yozora stood passively, shuddering and gasping as their lips touched.

Kodaka and Yozora separated. They stood there, not really sure what was supposed to happen next.

"Let's go," said Yozora.

Kodaka gazed reluctantly at the roses and walked away. Yozora followed him, grasping his hand as they left the school.

"I'm guessing you're going to find Yukimura and hang out with him?" said Yozora. "That was one amazing job you did with him."

"What are you talking about?" said Kodaka.

"I wouldn't have known that he was a nutjob six months ago if I hadn't known him already back then. You and Sena did a good job on him."

"You _knew_?" said Kodaka. "How long?"

"I started getting suspicious a long time ago. I just became surer each time I saw you and Sena and Yukimura together so often." Yozora shook her head. "I'm not mad or anything."

The two of them were already at the bus stop. Yozora plopped down in a seat. Kodaka, feeling too dejected to stick around, decided to walk for at least part of the way home.

…

Sena and Yukimura wandered down the streets. Now that Yukimura had "passed" his test with Sena, it seemed that Sena's work was complete. She and Kodaka had successfully turned Yukimura into a normal guy.

However, now there was a far different question on Sena's mind. For all she had just done with Kodaka, she couldn't erase the date with Yukimura from her mind.

Sena extended her hand out to Yukimura. Surprised, Yukimura took his hand out of his pocket and grasped Sena's.

"Is this it?" said Yukimura. "Am I finished? Am I…a man now?"

"Yeah. Even your voice sounds deeper now," said Sena.

"I've been trying to talk lower on purpose," said Yukimura. "So…now what do we do?"

"You just live out your life, I guess," said Sena. She pulled Yukimura closer. He was different now. Different from what he was months ago, yes, but also different from last Saturday on the date. It seemed that after kissing Sena, he had gotten the confidence to do pretty much anything else.

Yukimura nodded aimlessly. He felt lost now that he no longer had the big goal he had held for the last several months. He was almost dizzy from the lack of a defined regime.

Yukimura turned to his side to see Sena hovering dangerously close to his face. Upon seeing his reaction, Sena giggled and tried to kiss him.

"What are you doing?" said Yukimura.

"Isn't it normal to kiss your beau?" said Sena with a playful voice.

"You're with…" Yukimura paused. He had never quite confirmed that Sena and Kodaka were together.

"I'm with who?" said Sena mockingly, her face daring him to say a name.

"Rika and I saw you two on the couch," said Yukimura flatly, deliberately avoiding Kodaka's name.

Sena shrugged. "It was a moment of passion."

Yukimura eyed Sena skeptically. Something about her casual dismissal of the incident grated against him.

Sena was only inches away from his face again. "Just forget about what you saw, Yukimura."

Sena's sapphire-blue eyes glittered earnestly in the sun, and the two were so close that Sena's blonde hair fell against Yukimura's chest.

Yukimura uttered out one last breath. It would be Kodaka's problem, not his.

He leaned forward.


	14. The End of Part I

Yukimura strutted into school with his bag slung over his shoulders. He had learned the technique from Kodaka a long time ago. Although he still had a little trouble with his walk, sometimes messing up and having to correct himself, he had committed the slinging of his bag into his memory so that it was almost second nature.

There were whispers in the hallways. People pointed, whispered, and gasped. Yukimura shook his head. If they were pointing at him, he couldn't express outward surprise. That would only make it worse for him. He learned that from Kodaka as well.

Yukimura walked into his class and sat down. Ever since he had gone through his transformation, he had gotten along far better with his classmates. Therefore, when several guys suddenly surrounded him at his desk, Yukimura was rather taken aback.

"Yukimura, we heard the news. You're going out with the daughter of the school's headmaster?"

Yukimura shook his head. "Where the hell did you get that?"

One of the guys laughed. "Well, I guess it isn't true. I mean, if _I_ were going out with the headmaster's daughter, I'd totally be bragging about it."

"Unless the headmaster doesn't know," pointed out a third boy.

All eyes were on Yukimura again. Yukimura rolled his eyes as the bell rang. "Get back to your desks, people. It's not true. Nothing to see, nothing to hear about."

Yukimura forgot about the incident until lunchtime. When the bell rang for lunch break, Yukimura took out the bento he had made for himself. Although he was undoubtedly a guy now, he was still a good cook from all the tea brewing and snack baking he had done for the club.

It started as a whisper somewhere upstairs in the upper-classmen's classrooms. Eventually, this wave of whispers streamed downstairs until it reached Yukimura's room.

"What's everybody whispering about?" said Yukimura.

Everybody looked at Yukimura and began laughing. Now angry, Yukimura began to suspect it had something to do with the rumors from that morning.

"They're saying your girlfriend's heading to your room right now," said someone.

"What the hell are you talking—"

"Yu-ki-_mu_-ra!" sang out a voice. Sena skipped into the classroom, holding a bento box covered in a handkerchief.

Yukimura remained frozen in his seat at first. When he finally understood what was going on, he collapsed, letting his head bang against his desk.

"Yukimura, honey!" crooned Sena. "I made you lunch!"

Yukimura kept his head down and quietly ate from his bento. Sena took a seat next to him anyway (one of the boys in the classroom immediately offered her his chair).

"Yukimura, honey!" cried Sena again. "I've got your lunch right here!"

"What are you doing here?" hissed Yukimura.

"Isn't it natural for a girl to eat lunch with her boyfriend?" said Sena, far too loudly for Yukimura's comfort.

"We went on _one_ date," said Yukimura. "Six months ago, you thought I was a _girl_."

Sena hugged Yukimura, trapping his arm between her breasts. "Yu-u-u-ki-i-m-u-u-r-r-r-a-a, you're so mean!"

"Stop talking so loudly! People are starting to notice."

"Then eat my lunch. I spent all morning making it for you!"

Sena thrust the bento box forward with an eager look on her face. Yukimura accepted it and undid the cloth. He wrinkled his nose as he realized that this was probably the first bento Sena had ever made. Yukimura glanced sadly at his own meticulously made bento, filled with delicious leftovers from the night before, while he put Sena's food in his mouth.

"You know, you shouldn't have to pick up your own food," said Sena. She took the chopsticks from Yukimura's hand, dipped it in the box, and held it up in the air. "Open up."

"Are we seriously going to do this?" said Yukimura.

"Open up!"

Yukimura reluctantly opened his mouth and let Sena feed him.

"Now that I did it to you, you've got to return the favor." Sena sat up with her hands in her lap and her mouth wide open. A few guys began whispering rather inappropriate comments. Yukimura simply buried his head in his hands. He wondered if stuff like this was why Kodaka constantly looked pissed.

"Where do you want me to get the food from?" said Yukimura.

"How about your box?" said Sena.

Yukimura's face turned blue as he eyed the bento he had made himself. "Are you sure this isn't an excuse to mooch off my food?"

Sena said nothing. Instead, she wiggled her butt in the seat and opened her mouth up even wider. Yukimura silently took some rice from his bento with his chopstick and extended it toward Sena's lips.

Feeding each other was far more awkward and clumsy than it looked in the movies. Even Sena was surprised by how ungainly the process was. The bell ending lunch break came a little too soon for Yukimura to feel full. He packed up his bento box, jamming it ill-temperedly back into his bag.

"Bye, honey! I'll see you after school!" Sena kissed Yukimura and skipped out of the room.

Once they had the chance, the boys in Yukimura's class began to pester him with questions about Sena. As Yukimura walked through the hallway after class ended, he noticed a large number of boys glaring at him. Remembering that Sena had a giant group of devoted males, Yukimura simply went to his locker as fast as he could and hurried to the club room.

Sena was the only person in the room.

"What's going on?" said Yukimura. "And I'm guessing you're the one who spread the rumor that we're going out?"

"It's not a rumor," said Sena matter-of-factly. "Why are you trying to deny our relationship?"

"Because it doesn't exist, that's why," said Yukimura.

"You seem to think I'm joking," said Sena. She pulled Yukimura onto the couch next to her.

"Even if you're not," said Yukimura. "I was the last person in the school to find out I had a girlfriend."

"So?"

"Didn't think about asking me first?"

"You're my boyfriend," said Sena. She gripped Yukimura, coming within an inch of his face (again). "There's no 'asking' involved. I'm not letting you get away…like the last one."

Yukimura felt his resolving melting away. As his tongue slid deep into Sena's mouth, he began to wonder if it wasn't such a bad arrangement to be Sena's girlfriend after all.

Sena tucked her nose deep into Yukimura's shirt. "You smell nice."

"You too."

"Hey, guys," said Kodaka. He waved and threw his bag onto the opposite couch.

Yukimura was still curious as to how Kodaka could take all of this in stride. "Are you really OK with all of this, Aniki?"

"You mean you going out with Sena? You're a full-fledged man now, Yukimura. You can do it if you want. Also, you don't have to call me Aniki anymore."

"You don't have a problem with _any_ of this, Ani—Kodaka?"

Kodaka shook his head. "Congratulations!"

"Hear that?" said Sena. "Your 'Aniki' doesn't have a problem with it."

Sena embraced Yukimura again. The two lay down on the couch as Kodaka watched disinterestedly, sipping a canned coffee from the school vending machine.

Yozora walked into the room. She ignored Yukimura and Sena and headed straight for Kodaka, sitting down next to him. Though still apprehensive, Kodaka allowed her to inch closer, pretending not to notice as Yozora slowly placed her hand on his leg.

"What do you want to do after club…h-honey?" said Yozora.

Kodaka turned to Yozora with an amused look. "You don't have to call me that if you don't want to."

"Shut up," muttered Yozora.

"_Are_ we doing anything after club?" said Kodaka.

"You're awfully bad at this," said Yozora.

"Well, I'm fine either way," said Kodaka.

"You're acting like you don't even want a girlfriend."

"Well, I don't mind one way or another."

"You're so mean!" cried Yozora. Her voice was so shrill and helpless that Kodaka blushed. He took Yozora and cradled her head against his chest.

"There, there," said Kodaka. Yukimura looked up from the other couch and smirked, shaking his head.

…

Two weeks later, life had settled into a routine. It was now Monday morning. Kodaka walked toward the school as Kobato followed behind. The two of them split and headed toward their respective halves in the school.

"Good morning, Yozora," said Kodaka quietly.

Yozora had appeared from the bus stop. "Good morning, Kodaka."

She grabbed Kodaka's arm, and they walked up the stairs and into the classroom. People barely whispered anymore. However, Kodaka still remembered weeks ago, when everybody began talking about them. Neither of them had, nor had yet, mentioned the relationship in public. However, it became obvious when Yozora remained close to Kodaka in a way that was obviously more than friendly. Kodaka simply let Yozora take over from there.

Kodaka passed Sena in the hallway. She had Yukimura in her hand. In the two weeks that had passed, Yukimura had somehow miraculously mastered his pose, looking extremely bold as Sena held his arm.

"Good morning, Yukimura," said Kodaka. "Sena."

"Good morning, Kodaka," said Sena. A faint shadow passed over her face, which no one else noticed.

"Good morning, Kodaka," said Yukimura. He had stopped calling him Aniki. To tell the truth, Kodaka rather missed his old title.

"Good morning, Yukimura," said Yozora. "Hello, Meat."

Sena crossed her arms and turned up her nose. Yukimura nodded, saying, softly, "Good morning, Yozora-anego."

Sena hopped out of her seat as lunchtime started. Despite having been with Yukimura for over two weeks, she still had a dedicated gaggle of boys that accompanied her, whether out of denial or hope that the relationship would end or indifference to Sena's status as taken. Yozora and Kodaka watched as Sena and half the class rushed out into the hall.

"What a bunch of idiots," said Yozora.

"You should be nicer," said Kodaka with a shrug.

Several hours later, as club ended, Kodaka walked out with Yukimura.

"What do you feel like doing today?" said Kodaka.

"Not much," said Yukimura.

"Wanna hang out at my place?"

"Sure."

This was how Kodaka and Yukimura spent many of their afternoons now. Now that there was no pressing mission to make Yukimura man-like, neither felt any particular rush to go out and _do_ stuff. They went out if they felt like it, but often, they simply sat around and talked, like normal friends.

For the first time in a long time, Kodaka's life was easygoing and carefree. He hoped it would last like this for a long time after, as well.

Fat chance.

**As you can tell, this is not really the last chapter. Instead, I've split the story in two. A lot of the juicy stuff picks back up in the next part, which will be coming out next week. Don't miss it!**


End file.
